I'm Not Calling You Dad
by EmmaLemon
Summary: Oliver thought raising Roy was hard. Just an idea I really wanted to write. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**I know a lot of people have been killing Artemis' mom (in the fanfic sense) but I had an idea that I wanted to write. Sooo… yeah. Anyway, sorry if there are any errors. It's really late.**

**Enjoy! **

They were partners; there was no father-daughter relationship between them. Both of them knew this. So, why of all the people did it have to be Oliver Queen? Why not some gaudy rich man from Gotham, like that Wayne guy who was no stranger to adoption? But most importantly, why her mom?

Artemis wrapped her arms around her legs and stared absently at the green wall of her room at the cave. Her attention fixed on anything but what was happening now. She knew Batman and Green Arrow where discussing her future at that very moment but she just couldn't bring herself to care. Past, present, future, it just didn't matter now.

Falling back on her bed, she attempted to rest a little but every time her eyes closed she could see her mother and the ruined apartment. _Oh God,_ she thought quietly as she sat up. She couldn't let her mind wander like this. It'd tear her apart.

Slowly, she ambled over to a small mirror hanging over her dresser and dried her eyes. With a deep breath, she marched over to the door, stepped outside, and desperately hoped the team would leave her be. She noticed her movements were a bit stiff and tried to calm herself a little. Even though she was trying to walk normally it took forever to get to the gym.

The specialized gym normally held at least one occupant. Today it was completely desolate. Artemis had always kind of liked the place. She could barely see Aqualad's indoor pool from where she was standing but the scent of salt water reached her nose. There were weights designed just for Conner, several gymnastic pieces for Robin, and a track made to exhaust Wally (not that it ever worked like that). There was even a sound proof room for M'gann to meditate in. Artemis' time, though, was spent by the range.

And that's where Oliver found her.

He stood back for a moment watching as she released arrow after arrow, each of them burrowing into a target. Her deadly accuracy with the weapon almost matched Roy's by now. Each shot deliberate and precise, the kind of grace only came from years of strict training.

"I overheard you and Batman talking," she murmured. Another arrow buried itself in the mark. She realized how dry her voice sounded and tried to make her voice sound less… hurt. "What are you planning to do?"

Green Arrow could hear the malice and fear in his protégé's voice. He knew what it was like to be in this position. No one had ever told him what his future held or if he even had a future. She deserved the truth, at least.

"I can't send to your father and you have no other living relatives." The young archer flinched sending an arrow flying into the wall. "Batman offered to take you in if you wanted to stay in Gotham and Red Tornado offered you a permanent home at in the cave. The choice is yours really." Ollie picked up a spare bow and notched an arrow. It hit the bull's-eye flawlessly. "Artemis," he added in the most serious voice she'd ever heard him use. She met his emerald eyes. "You will always have a place to stay in Star City."

The girl let out a sigh. "Gotham has always been my home but I don't know what to do. I don't want my father to catch up to me now that I'm alone." She hated herself for showing so much emotion to anyone.

"Perhaps we should start with Star City. If you don't like life with Oliver Queen, we can always find a better arrangement."

Artemis knew the best choice was probably going to live with Ollie but she wasn't exactly jumping for joy. Green Arrow was nice, really, but the thought of living somewhere other than her apartment in Gotham just made her grief worse. Things were definitely going to change, all because someone had decided to take out a poor lady in a wheelchair.

"Fine," she replied at last. "But I'm not calling you Dad."

**Sorry it's so short but I couldn't drag it any further. I definitely think I'm going to continue with this idea. I'm on spring break, so I hope to update soon. Tell me what you think. I might just need ideas for next chapter. Plus, I've never written a Young Justice FanFic before and feedback would definitely be appreciated.**

**Keep Calm and Laugh On! (I love that saying!)**

**EmmaLemon **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! This took longer than I planned. Sorry about that. Between school and script frenzy I've been a bit busy but I finally pulled this chapter out thin air! I would have posted this yesterday but there was a huge storm and I wasn't allowed to use my computer until it passed. Enough with my babble, on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer (forgot it last time): I don't own Young Justice because if I did Nightingale would be on the team ;)**

There was something about Ollie that made his so… aggravating. Maybe it was his sense of humor, or his stupid facial hair, or maybe it was the way he'd somehow convinced Artemis to come live with him in Star City (which was on the other side of the US compared to Gotham).

She was fully aware that she was being unreasonable by hating him. It's not like he had driven that knife in to her mother. Still, Artemis hadn't said a word to him the whole trip. Her headphones were practically glued to ears on full blast. She didn't look or even acknowledge his presence. After a while, Oliver caught on and stopped his futile attempts at a conversation. He understood her need for space right now.

They had simply used the zeta tubes to travel from Gotham to the west coast in a matter of moments. An expensive looking car picked them up, complete with a chauffeur. As it transferred them to their destination Artemis watched the city she protected every night speed by. Every once in awhile, she spotted the Pacific Ocean as it shimmered in the sun. It did little to improve her mood.

Eventually they pulled away from the city and finally stop in front of a very large house. Artemis was caught by surprise, actually. She knew Ollie was rich but she had no idea he was like the Bruce Wayne of Star City.

Hopping out of the car, she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Before, Artemis had been bound and determined to improve her mother's life by (somehow) earning enough money to buy a house specialized for her mom's wheelchair. She even planned on hiring a maid and cook to ease her mom's workload. But, now with her mom gone, she missed her old apartment in Gotham.

Ollie pulled her bags out of the trunk before the car rolled away and disappeared behind the manor. She cocked an eyebrow. "What? No butler?" she asked, wincing at the touch of venom in her voice. Ollie didn't deserve to be the outlet of her rampant emotions. Great, the first words she'd said to him since their agreement about her new residence were spoken with malice.

The older archer didn't seem notice. "Not anymore." He carted her bags into the manor with a gesture to follow. The door opened before they could make it all the way up the stairs. Dinah stepped on to the porch and placed her hands on her hips. Ollie, unsure of her intentions, gave her a lopsided grin in an attempt to remove the skeptical expression etched into her face. She was unaffected. "Dinah," he exclaimed. "Did you come over to see me or Artemis?"

"I originally dropped by to talk to you," she admitted. "But, I'd rather help Artemis get settled." The older woman smiled at Artemis. In reality, Artemis had hoped for some time alone once she arrived but Dinah's motherly atmosphere was enough to keep her from stomping off.

The two girls headed deeper into the house, leaving Ollie muttering about the complexity of a woman's mind.

Artemis was given a complete tour of "Queen Manor" ending with her room. Ollie had already dropped her bags off at the door and had vanished in to the depths of the various rooms. Pushing the door open, Artemis found a light blue room with all the necessary furnishings. Her shoulders slumped as the day's stress caught up to her. She wanted nothing more than to fall into the bed and sleep forever but she was still aware of the images that appeared behind her eyelids.

"Do you need anything?" Dinah asked. Her smile evaporated and was quickly replaced with concern. Artemis shook her head without looking into the blue orbs filled with so much worry. Without missing a beat, Black Canary pulled a scrap of paper from her jeans and found a pen in one of the pockets of her leather jacket. She scribbled down her phone number and placed it onto the desk. "I'll be here as often as I can but if I'm not just call me. If you need anything at all. Ok?"

When Artemis didn't reply, Dinah left knowing she wanted to be alone. As soon as the door click shut, the floodgates opened. The blonde archer found herself curled up on the bed silently sobbing. All the images and thoughts she had tried to suppress attacked her brain simultaneously.

This morning seemed like a lifetime away. She had said good-bye to her mom and left for school but when she returned home she could feel the uneasiness in the air. In their cramped living room was her mother's overturned wheelchair. One moment the blood was too red, the next it was too black. Her mom was sprawled across the floor, unmoving and lifeless. The next thing she knew, she was in the cave screaming her head off. Red Tornado was the first one to find her. He was the one who sent Batman out to check the apartment. Kid Flash was next on the scene. In a bizarre turn of events, he had stopped himself mid-snide remark and actually comforted her.

Artemis shook her head, not wanting to go too in detail. There had been enough anguish for one day and she didn't wish to go through it again.

She glanced around her new room. The light had been left off so what little light there was came from the cracks in the blinds. Dinah had nudged the bags into the room before leaving. Artemis crawled over to them and fished out the picture of her mom. It was the only one she had of her.

Half of the photo had been bent back to block out Jade and her father. The visible half showed her mom before her wheelchair and a very young Artemis. They had all been happy back then, when their criminal work wasn't a main topic.

Pulling herself to her feet, she placed the picture on her new dresser and opened the blinds. Sunlight flooded the room. From her window Artemis could see a strip of ocean in between the trees and the sky. Perhaps she could get used to a view like that.

She slowly began to unpack, stopping only to frown at her Gotham Academy uniforms. That was something she'd have to ask Ollie about. Her sister's Alice in Wonderland poster was pulled for its spot in one of her bag and she sticky-tacked it to the wall. She popped an ear bud in one ear and blasted her favorite song. After a few moments of tears, she tucked the last of her things away in the dresser.

Artemis was surprised at how late it was when she finished. She slipped out of her room and wandered around until she found the kitchen. Oddly enough, Ollie was there cooking something over the stove. The smell of tomato soup reached her nose. At least she'd be eating a normal meal tonight.

Ollie glanced over at her and smiled. "I wanted to make my famous chili but Dinah took all of my ingredients for that away." He chuckled lightly as he dished up three bowls of soup. "I hope you like tomatoes."

Artemis accepted the bowl with a thank you. Dinah walked into the kitchen and took her own bowl. Ollie handed out spoons. As Artemis ate she glanced around realizing how much she missed a full family meal. She could get used to this even if it was going to be hard.

**Well there you are! Next week I promise I'll update on time and it will pick up I promise! Please review. Each review is like a like electric shock compelling me to keep writing. Bizarre analogy, I know. Just please review.**

**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**

**EmmaLemon**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm updating a little early because I won't be able to upload this later (I had planned to update every Saturday).  
>Also, while finishing up this chapter, I realized there's a little flaw in this chapter. (Spoiler for Usual Suspects) Last episode, Artemis revealed her past to the team, so everyone in this story knows about Artemis's family. Also, in the last episode we all figured out Roy was the mole and the whole Justice League is now under Vandal Savage's control. SO, let's just pretend, for the sake of the story, that the Justice League is not under Savage's control. I'll let the cartoon sort that out!<br>Oops! I forgot to thank everyone who reviewed. I normally do. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed (I list you names but that'd take more time than I've got). Rouge42917's review made me laugh. **

There was still about an hour before Ollie wanted to head out for patrol, so Artemis decided to spend some time exploring the area that surrounded Queen Manor. She laced up her ratty old tennis shoes and headed out. She stopped on the porch, though, due to shock. Well, maybe shock was a bit too harsh. It's not like Kid Mouth was a total jerk.

He had stopped midstride when she stepped out of the house. His body poised to race off the steps. Turning to face her, Wally laughed nervously. "Hey, Artemis. Funny seeing you here." His pale cheeks had turn so red that his freckles had disappeared.

"I live here now," she replied, wondering why he was on Ollie's porch. It's not like Roy lived here anymore and Wally knew that. More awkward laughing from the redhead.

"Um, yeah. Rob told me." Artemis walked past and down the steps. Whatever Wally was up to she wasn't falling for. She didn't think he'd be that heartless to mock a girl who'd just lost her mother but they had said some pretty nasty stuff to each other before. Though, not as much lately.

"That doesn't explain why you're here." Wally followed her as she began down the long twisting driveway. The sun was just beginning to fade, handing the sky over to the moon. The blonde glanced over at the bumbling speedster. Finally, he sighed and ignored his fear.

He mumbled something too fast for her to catch.

"English, Wally, English," Artemis interrupted. He stopped rambling and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I came to let you know that I'm… here if you need… someone to talk to." The last part came out as more of a question than a statement. He continued slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I know what it's like to have… family issues, even if yours are worse than mine."

She had to stop herself from retorting with some spiteful preprogrammed remark. "Thanks." There was an odd (and rather pleasant) understanding between them. "Kid Perfect's life isn't perfect?" she said with fake shock, giggling a bit at the end. She couldn't help it.

He smirked back. "You'd be amazed, beautiful."

Both of them froze, realizing who he'd just called "beautiful". Neither of them had anticipated that. Wally blushed again but this time Artemis's cheeks were just as red. In her embarrassment one misstep sent her shoulder bumping into his. "Should I call you an idiot now or…?" She asked uncertainly.

"If anyone asks I didn't just say that, ok?" She nodded and he burst out laughing. After a moment of hesitation, she joined him. They continued down the drive way. Artemis actually found herself enjoying their conversation. They didn't talk about anything specific, just life in general. Although they kept a physical distance between them there was a certain closeness in their words. Eventually, they both began talking about more personal stuff, like school and Wally's family. They steered clear of her family.

In the middle of one of his stories about his aunt, Artemis stopped him. "You really love you aunt and uncle, don't you?" She was hit with a little jealousy. Both of her parents were only children and both her grandparents had died long ago. Now she didn't even have her mother.

Wally sighed, surprising her with the heaviness of it. "Yeah. I spend so much time at their house I sometimes forget they're not my parents. I hate when that happens." This sparked her curiosity. What, exactly, where his family issues? She waited for him to continue but he didn't. In the small amount of light left, she could see his emerald eyes darken. His shoulders sagged and then he was lost in some painful thought.

"I'm sorry, Wally," She mumbled. He seemed to have been brought back the sound of his name. "I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it." His smile was back but it was full. "We should probably head back soon if you're going out patrolling tonight." He was right. Ollie had wanted to leave once the sun had set. Wally walked her back to the manor. They continued to talk but steered clear of both their families.

By the time they reached the porch, the sun was completely gone from the sky. The only light came from the crescent moon. "Have fun patrolling," Wally said as he turned to leave. He had made it all the way down the steps before Artemis made up her mind.

"Wally," she called, not thinking of what she planned to do. He stopped and turned to her, his eyebrows raised. She ran down the steps and threw arms around him, ignoring all memories of their numerous fights. "Thanks for everything." Wally was taken by surprise. Of everybody, Artemis was the_ least_ likely to hug him. Timidly, he hugged her back.

"Anytime, Artemis."

They broke apart awkwardly, both blushing again. "See you tomorrow, beautiful," the ginger laughed with a wink. She wished him a good night and headed up the steps. As she stepped inside, she noticed Ollie standing by the staircase. He was already dressed as Green Arrow and his arms were folded across his chest.

"Do I need to kill him?" he asked, completely serious. Artemis rolled her eyes, finally realizing why her school friends had always complained about their overprotective dads. Ollie raised an eyebrow and waited for a response. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, please. He wishes." She hurried up to her room to change. As she slid her bow out from under bed she felt in control of her life for the first time today. Before she left, she glanced down at the photo of her mom. "I'm doing this for you, Mom," she whispered, wiping away her tears. Downstairs, Ollie stopped her, reminding her she didn't have to patrol tonight. He understood. "I'll be fine. I need to do this." He hesitated but let her go anyway. Even so, she noticed how he watched her for signs of distress.

A while later she stood on top of Queen Industries, finally facing it as a citizen. Ollie had just left to hit his half of the city. Using grappling arrows and plain old jumping power she made her way across the city. It was a quiet night. No robberies, no attacks, and no villain sightings… so far. The young archer stopped and absently watched late night traffic. This city was very mild compared to Gotham. Gotham, home. The poor grimy neighborhood her mother had wanted to get out of before she died had swallowed her up. That's what Gotham did to you. It took everything away until all you have left is your sanity, then it takes that too. It leaves you an empty shell shivering in a cell at Arkham Asylum. Despite all that, Gotham was her home. She was born and raised there. It was a part of whose she was. And she missed.

Life was so different now. Star City with its clean streets and kinder outlook, Ollie with his diverse lifestyle, and her without her mother.

Artemis stood up with anger. The whole point of patrolling was to get her mind off of her current situation. She squeezed her eyes shut but all she saw was her mother's blood pooling on the carpet. She notched an arrow, spun around, and sent it flying into the wall behind her.

"That could have hit me," murmured a familiar voice. Artemis notched another and watched her father step out of the shadows. Despite his mask, she could actually see bags under his eyes. He looked a little frazzled. "Is that any way to treat you father?" He waved away her weapon, paying little attention to it. "I just came to talk to my favorite little archer."

"You never come to just talk." He just shrugged. She kept her arrow trained on him but her grip was tighter than normal. Shooting him now would end most of her problems. But she just couldn't release the arrow, even if it was only a trick arrow. She hated that about herself. "The last time we 'just talked' was before Mom went to jail. Who are you planning on attacking this time? What did you really come for? And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not in the best mood today, so make it quick."

"I'm serious this time, Artemis. I just wanted to talk." He pulled off his mask as a gesture of good faith. It didn't completely convince her but she lowered her bow. The arrow stayed ready, though. "I heard about your mother and I thought you might want to be around you family."

The young archer almost laughed. "Newsflash, you're not a part of my family anymore. You gave up that right a long time ago."

What seemed like an everlasting silence stretched on between them. The breeze coming off the Pacific was cold and caused goose bumps to pop up on Artemis's arms. She shivered slightly, wishing her suit had sleeves. Sportsmaster sighed and stepped closer to his daughter. In response she raised her bow again. The message was clear.

"I did love you mother at one time. We just grew apart." She rolled her eyes; if that's what he wanted to call it. The older man crossed his arms. "Now that she's … gone, I thought you might need a place to stay. After all, you're still my daughter."

"I already have a place to stay," she retorted.

He nodded. "I gathered that much. I fact I heard you were staying with that Queen guy. No, what I meant is, if you want to stay with someone who actually cares for you I'm here. It can be like it was before Jade left."

"You care for me?" She laughed quickly. "More like you need me back as an assassin, which isn't going to happen." Sportsmaster chuckled softly slipped his mask back on. Play time was over. Artemis squeezed her bow a little harder, ready to take aim and shoot if necessary.

"Is it that little Flash Boy? Because I can take care of him." He smirked. Her face showed that he'd hit a nerve. "Just remember, no matter where you go or who you call dad, you still have my blood pumping through you veins. You'll always be a Crock, and Crocks are either criminals or dead."

Artemis raised her bow and taking aim. This time she wouldn't miss, she wouldn't try not to hurt him to bad. If there wasn't already a trick arrow notched, she would have shot him with an actual one. Hatred pulsed through her in waves.

"Are you really willing to lose both parents?" He grinned as she stiffened. Taking a step back, he prepared to leave. "Whatever fantasy you're living in will come crashing down eventually. And when it does, hopefully you finally remember that you are a Crock."

Artemis stood there, unable to move. She was just going to let him get away. He had threatened Wally and she was just going to let him get away. Like she always did. She always would. Her anger pushed at her mind, trying to get her to fire the arrow.

But these factors weren't what had unfrozen her. It was the arrow that lodges itself in her father's foot.

**Well, that's all folks. Please review. I may need some ideas pretty soon and I want some feedback on the spitfire. Was it too fast? Too slow? Too much? Too Little? Not Quite Right? HELP! Reviews make me write faster and maybe better. I want to extend a quick little shout out to the DC Comics Database. That's where I get a ton of my info on these guys. **

**See you guys next week!**

**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**

**EmmaLemon**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really surprised I actually got this done. At first I couldn't think of anything and then I saw this week's episode and I was so confused I stopped writing for a bit. BUT I made it!  
>I'm going to spare you guys my rant about the show and just get on with this chapter. Thanks to everyone who review AND the silent readers. Here you go!<br>Oh! Whether this is clone Roy or Original Roy, I'll let you guys decide. (Either way Roy has both arms because I don't believe he should lose it until he loses Lian ): )**

"I don't care whose blood's in her veins, she's one of the Queens now." Artemis whipped her head around in time to see the red head smirk. It was the same mocking grin she had often seen on Robin or Wally. He stood on a slightly taller building, looking down on them. Even from the distance she could see there was a relaxation in his posture that Artemis had barely seen on him. Another arrow was notched and ready but this time it was aimed at Sportsmaster's heart.

"You act like it's something to be proud of, boy," Sportsmaster retorted. He was playing a dangerous game by toying with the guy who had the weapons. Lawrence hadn't even brought a javelin because he hadn't expected to come across anyone but his daughter, who wouldn't have shot him.

"It's better than you," Artemis jumped in. "At least Ollie tries to act like a father. My mother dies and all you have to say to me is that I'll always be a Crock. She's dead, the woman you used to love. Does that even bother you? One of your daughters is without her mother. Do you even care? Of course you don't. I've spent all these years trying to impress you while my mom rots in jail. When she finally gets out, you still don't leave me alone. In case you haven't noticed the 'loving family' ship has sailed." She didn't know where this was all coming from but once she had let some of it loose, it had all come out. All those pent up emotions just came pouring out of her. And she didn't know why, but it was all because of the way Roy had finally come to accept her. "So, yeah, being a Queen _is_ something to be proud of. Because at least now I'm not a Crock."

Sportsmaster's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he, at last, realized the truth; his daughter was no longer under his control. He had lost her to a playboy and his irritating son. "Fine, be a Queen. Tell me if it's as great as you believe it is." He pulled the arrow from his foot, dropped it to the side, and allowed his blood to scatter across the rooftop. There was only one way to end this night from his point of view. With a few strides he ended up in front Artemis before either of the archers could move. "See how amazing it is to be a Queen," he hissed as he shoved her shoulders, sending her tumbling down towards the streets below.

Artemis barely had time to react. Glad that she had taken the quiver with more grappling arrows than the others, she sent an arrow flying into a building, slowing her fall enough to minimize the damage. Even so, she landed on the hood of a car. Her bow ended up wedged between her back and the car's windshield causing adequate amount of pressure to brake off a few shards. One of which buried itself into her back. The alarms went off and the clamor rose into the sky.

Red Arrow's attention was diverted for just long enough for Sportsmaster to slip away. Once he was positive the girl was still alive, he headed after Sporstmaster. His search, however, was postponed due to the fact that Artemis would need medical attention. He turned from the receding figure and made his way down to the other archer. "Artemis," he called.

She pulled herself into a sitting position. "Somebody might need a new car," she muttered as she patted the dented hood. He actually chuckled a bit. What was with Roy today? Artemis attempted to stand but fell back as a wave of pain enveloped her. The area around the shard in her back had grown warm and she may have broken a bone or two. Her head was throbbing, making it hard to think. "Do you think you can get me back to Ollie's?" she asked. "I have a first aid kit in my room."

"This is going to take more than a first aid kit," he replied shaking his head. "You need to get to the hospital. Besides, Queen Manor is too far." In the distance, police sirens went off and became closer.

"I'm not going to a hospital." She managed to pull herself to her feet. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she took several steps away from the car. At least her legs weren't broken. "If you not going to help me get to Ollie's I'll crawl to the nearest zeta tube and head to the cave."

Roy shook his head again. "It's too far." Artemis fixed him with a steely glare that had the potential to grow into a Bat glare. "Fine, but the nearest zeta tube is still too far. You're losing too much blood. I know someplace really close that has medical supplies. I'll fix you up there and then we'll head to the zeta tubes, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, he threw her arm over his shoulder and practically dragged her away from the car. He pulled her into a sketchy residential area. Artemis didn't even know Star City had 'sketchy areas'.

They entered a small and rather shabby apartment building and climbed the stairs. Halfway up, Artemis collapsed, her bow slipping from her fingers. Roy hesitantly picked her up bridal style and continued up the stairs. "So, this is what it's like to be an older sibling," he murmured. In truth, this isn't how he'd thought his day would end up. The younger archer's head now rested on his chest.

"Remember this," she muttered, surprising the both of them. "In case you end up with a child someday." He couldn't help but notice the weakness in her voice and how her eyelids dropped. His pace quickened until they stopped in front of the right door. Carefully adjusting the girl, he dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. It was dangerous coming here in costume but they didn't have much of a choice. At least none of the neighbors where out.

"Me? A father?" he asked trying to keep her awake. "That'll never happen." He carried her over to the couch, kicking some of the junk aside. She was laid down on her front. "Don't move." He disappeared into the apartment to retrieve his medical supplies.

"It could happen." She reached up and slid her mask onto her forehead. Laughing softly, she continued. "You could have a little girl and name her Lian. It means graceful willow. It's my sister's favorite name. You know, she not that bad… when she's not trying to kill you. She used to read to me when our parents were out. I miss old Jade." Artemis sighed glanced around the small room. An empty pizza box sat on the coffee table with a few mugs. The walls were a dark shade of gray and completely bare. From her position on the couch not much else was visible. She closed her eyes.

Roy, who was still franticly searching for his first aid kit, had been using her voice as a reassurance that she was still alive. The lack of noise caused him to panic. He found the supplies under the bathroom sink and ran out in to the living room. "Artemis." He nudged her shoulder. "If you die, Dinah will kill me. Hell, so will Ollie. Please don't die." He gave on trying to wake her and started on her injuries. Carefully, he pulled the shard of glass checking to see if there were any pieces left behind. She yelped and moaned.

"Thanks for not giving me a warning," she mumbled, her eyes flying open.

"Hey, Artemis, I'm pulling out that shard of glass." Her arm managed to slap his face. "I can still take you to the hospital." She stopped complaining at that. He patiently cleaned the wound and inspected it. "This is going to need stitches."

"Alight, I'll get it."

"You can't reach. Besides, I can do. You have to stay still." She muttered something that sounded like, "It's not like I'm going anywhere", and closed her eyes again. He grabbed an individually packaged needle and some sterile thread. Roy began to stitch her up. "This would be so much easier with a professional doctor at a real hospital."

Artemis wanted to reply but she felt her consciousness slipping. Because of this she didn't say something witty. All she said was, "You should name your daughter Lian." And then she was out like a light.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

"Oh totally, I just snapped and tried to kill her, but I felt really bad about after words so I patched her up and carried her all the way here. Happens all the time," Roy snapped. "That's me, the cold blooded killer with a soft spot for my victims."

Artemis struggled to completely wake up. She was aware of Roy's voice somewhere close. Her mind was whirling so she focused on his voice. Instead of pure anger, like normal, there was only agitation. He was close but not right next to her. She pushed her brain even father and tried to open her eyes but the light was too bright and she had to snap them closed again.

"Lay off him, Supey." This wasn't a voice she had expected. When she passed out, she was at Roy's apartment, now she could tell she wasn't there anymore. "Roy, why don't you explain what happened."

"I didn't expect you to have a level head, Wally," Roy replied. He was met with a "shut up" from Wally. "Look, Dinah asked me to keep an eye on her just in case. Sportsmaster shows up, pushes her off the building, and leaves. She was injured; otherwise I would have gone after him. She refused to go to a hospital so I had to patch her up and take her here."

Artemis tried to open her eyes again, with more success this time. From the looks of it, Roy had gotten her to the cave. The white ceiling of the medical room met her eyes first. She glanced around to find the whole team crammed into the room. Roy stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest while Conner glared at him. Wally was sitting in the chair next to the bed. The others stood awkwardly around the room until someone noticed she was awake.

"Artemis, how are you feeling?" Kaldur asked.

"Like I fell off a building." Her head was throbbing but at least her back was numb. There was a tinge of pain coming from one of her arms. That same arm, her left one, was stiff and when she tried to move it there was extra weight. A glance down confirmed her suspicions. "A broken arm too."

M'gann nodded silently. "Unless I can master the healing spell, which is highly unlikely, you'll be out for six weeks," Zatanna sadly explained. Artemis sighed. Six weeks of not using one of her arms was unthinkable. Things just weren't going well for her today. Well, that was an understatement.

The door opened and Oliver stepped in. He crossed over to her bed as everyone else filed out, knowing he was going to demand that anyway. Ollie was silent even after everyone was gone. His normally humorous attitude was gone and replaced with intense concern. Smoothing back her hair in a surprisingly fatherly manner, he sat down in the chair Wally was sitting in before. "I become your legal guardian and you break your arm and get eight stitches. What does that say about me?"

"Nothing, but it screams loads about my- about Sportsmaster," she answered, unconsciously stroking her cast. She had been avoiding his gaze but her eyes finally got caught on his. "You shouldn't worry so much. I'm fine."

He laughed softly, startling her. "It's my job to worry, Artemis. I might not be your father but I still consider you my daughter."

**Aww! I love fluff if you can't tell.  
>Please review; I kind of need some ideas. If you have anything you want to see in here please send them in through review and I'll see what I can do. I have a few ideas of my own but with just those the story would end in a few chapters. Thanks!<strong>

**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**

**EmmaLemon**


	5. Chapter 5

**Is anyone else confused by Young Justice Invasion? I think it has the potential to be as awesome as the first series but I don't really understand what's going on yet. I guess I'll just wait and see.  
>Anyway, here's the next chapter. I've come up with a game plan for this story (more like a REALLY rough outline) so I can incorporate some of your ideas. I liked a lot of them. Hopefully I can fit them all in while maintaining continuity! Enjoy! <strong>

It was always the same, every detail, every word, every emotion exactly same. There was no escape. There was no hope. The dreams were horrible, the waking hours were unbearable. She'd shut her eyes and see abysmal things. She'd open them but the images didn't leave.

There was no way Artemis could live like this anymore. The shock from the first day wore of right after the funeral. The funeral, the whole team showed up, Ollie and Dinah, Roy, Batman in his sunglasses, several members of the league. Some of her mom's friends from before her huntress days said their last goodbyes. She even thought she saw Jade outside the cemetery. Artemis had betrayed one of her most important rules there, she had cried. But that didn't matter anymore. The tears she shed at the funeral where nothing compared to the tears she cried over the next few weeks.

The nightmares started soon after that. At first they weren't so bad. She'd wake up in the middle of the night crying but she didn't remember why. She could have lived with those dreams. They got so much worse, though. One night she woke up screaming and sobbing and didn't stop until Ollie came in and calmed her down. He always asked what she had seen in her nightmares but she refused to tell. Dinah suggested that a change of scenery right after a trauma could cause extreme nightmares. So, they tried having her sleep in the cave. All that did was disturb the cave's other resident's sleep. It had become a routine in the Queen household. Dinah slept there every night she could just to be there for Artemis. But nothing they tried worked and she continued to refuse their pleas for the details of her nightmares. It was just something Artemis thought she'd have to live with.

But she couldn't live with it anymore. Her arm was still healing even though her stitches had been removed and the wound on her back was almost healed. Because of this, she wasn't allowed on patrols. The young blonde spent her days wandering the halls of Queen Manor or the cave. Sometimes she cried but other times she didn't. There was nothing to stop her mind from wandering to that gruesome scene at her apartment. The nightmares began to seep into her everyday life.

"We can't leave her like this," Ollie exclaimed as he paced through the main hall of the cave. He and Dinah had escaped there while its inhabitants were gone to talk about the nightmares that had plagued their house. Artemis was back at Queen Manor, watched by Roy, so they could talk in peace. "This is hurting her and everyone around her. It's not fair to her. I mean, can't we do something?"

Dinah silently watched him pace. She had no more ideas to offer. The nightmares were something she had hoped would pass as time went on but, of course, they didn't. The girl was always so terrified of what she saw in her dreams, leaving Dinah wondering what sort of demons haunted her subconscious mind. It was that thought that made her understand. "We can't do anything until we find out what's bothering her. There's got to be some way to find out what she dreaming about," Dinah muttered, catching more than just Ollie's attention. "How can we convince her to tell us? Artemis barely trusts me sometimes and I doubt she'll tell you. But I don't understand why she won't tell us."

"She's afraid if she tells somebody it will be real," Wally explained as he stepped into the training hall. He ignored their shocked and rather unhappy looks and continued. "Look, I know what she's going through, not the whole losing a mom thing, but the dreams. I've been there and I think I can help." Ollie had known this kid for three years and he'd never seen a more serious expression touch his face. It was like a totally different Wally. "I think I can help _if _you let me."

8 8 8

The eyes were the same shade and the hair was a perfect replica but this girl wasn't Artemis. The longer she looked in the mirror the more convinced she was that the girl staring back was not her. There were bags under her eyes from countless disturbed nights. Her hair was a total mess and her eyes had lost their shine. The Artemis from a few months ago wouldn't even recognize this girl.

The blonde turned away from the mirror and fell face first onto her bed. Rolling over, she glared at the ceiling determined to stay awake tonight. If she didn't sleep, she didn't dream. As she picked up her sister's copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, though, she could feel her eyelids droop. She wasn't getting enough sleep already but this could not be helped. Slowly she forced her eyes to stay open and began reading, taking the book and the night one word at a time.

She had reached the end of the second paragraph (most of it was recited out of her memory) when she realized she was no longer in her room at Queen Manor. Instead she sat on her bed in her old room in Gotham. It looked the way it always had. Jade's bed was, as always, empty and her poster of Alice was still hanging in its place on her wall. Outside the window it was pitch black but a warm yellow glow flowed from a crack in between the slightly ajar door and its frame. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She had fallen asleep.

All of the details were the same just like every nightmare before this one. She could tell anyone how it went from this point on just from memory. It was always the same.

Her mom's voice floated into the room just like always. "Artemis, wake up. You're going to be late for school." Artemis had already decided to try and change the outcome of the dream by changing her reaction to the events. Rather than rush into the kitchen like she normally did, the young archer stayed put and refused to budge no matter how many times her mother called. Though she did manage to change the fine points of the nightmare, it kept rolling without her having to move. The room around faded into the scene of her kitchen. Just like every other night, she was now face to face with her mother. "Artemis," laughed her mother. "You wouldn't be so hurried in the morning if you just woke up when your alarm goes off."

Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what came next. "Artemis, what's wrong?" Her eyelids flew open without her consent as the room darkened. The front door slammed open allowing several shadowy figures to enter her apartment. Her mother's shocked screams echoed in her head. As the figures closed in the poor woman in the wheelchair blood splattered everywhere, landing on the carpets, walls, and even Artemis's face. The dead body was thrown to the floor and the attackers turned towards their victim's daughter. A tear escaped her eye; they'd be upon her in a moment. No matter how fast she ran she could never get away before that knife slid into her stomach.

But, before any of that could happen, Artemis was swept away by blur. She landed just outside of the kitchen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. "Do you always give up this easily, beautiful?" Wally stepped in front of her as her assailants came after their target. This wasn't supposed to happen, this never happens. Why was she dreaming of Wally? What if he gets killed too? No one in her dreams end up alive. They all share the same fate. "I could use a hand here," he called snapping Artemis out of thoughts. No matter how fast he was, he was still outnumbered. Hopping to her feet, the blonde blocked the punch of an enemy who had gotten past her personal guard. In the dream world her arm was completely heal, permitting her to use it in the fight. Felling like her old self again Artemis quickly conquered her opponent and moved on to the next shadowy figure. Together they took out all of the attackers.

"What are you doing here, Wally?" Artemis demanded once the fighting had finished. She was breathing hard and her body ached everywhere but she felt better than she had since her mother's murder. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Even though this was only a dream she was actually energized.

"Ollie and Dinah sent me into your dreams to try to help you get over this fit of nightmares." He nudged one of the figure's unconscious form with his foot. He was dressed in his civvies, a plain t-shirt and jeans. Sneakers covered his feet. He looked so out of place in one of her nightmares.

Artemis glanced around trying to avoid the sight her mother's corpse. "I guess what I mean is, how did you get here? People don't normally walking to other people's dreams."

"Martian Manhunter and M'gann transferred my subconscious into yours once you had fallen asleep. Or at least I _think_ that's what M'gann said she was going to do; I wasn't really paying that much attention." She rolled her eyes as he laughed nervously. "Anyway, we should wake up when I get to the bottom of this. So, it should be any second now."

Artemis bit her lip realizing what this meant. She finally looked at her mom's body. "Um, Wally, I hate to tell you this but that wasn't even the worst part. We're not even close to end of this." Wally's protests were barely heard as she tried to estimate how long they'd been talking. The next part should be happening very soon.

At the front of the apartment, she could hear the door slam shut marking the beginning of the next trial. The figures melted into each other and soaked into the carpet. Once they were gone, the wails filled the air and vibrated through her skull. "Do you want to explain what's going on?" Wally asked as he glanced around nervously. The sound of metal skidding across tile complimented the cries for a moment before dropping out. She balled her hands into fists and tried not to cry.

"Artemis," her mother sobbed. Wally jumped a foot in the air when her voice pierced the atmosphere. "Artemis, where are you?" Her mother's dead body used its arms to propel itself towards the two of them. Its skin had gone pale white and its whole eye (whites included) went black. "Come here, baby. I won't hurt you." A few tears escaped the young archer's eyes as she backed away, dragging Wally with her. "Artemis, why? Why didn't you save me? You could have saved me. If you had been here for me, like I've always been there for you, I wouldn't be like this. Artemis, what kind of daughter are you? You can't even save your own mother." The corpse continued to crawl after them as Artemis wept uncontrollably. Its words even hurt Wally. "Artemis." Its hand latched onto the bottom of her sweatpants and refused to let go.

Wally pulled the girl away causing the cadaver to glance at him for the first time. "Give me my daughter," it hissed. "Give her to me. She's mine." The redhead kicked the grasping hands away startled at how badly this dream had turned out. Even so the body kept creeping towards them.

"Wally," Artemis cried. "She doesn't give up until she gets me." He only tightened his grip on her. She tried to pry his fingers off but he did not budge. "Please, let me just get this over with so we can wake up. It'll be easier for the both of us." Giving her a skeptical look, he began to protest. She placed a finger over his mouth and silenced him. "Trust me. I'll be fine."

He readjusted himself so he was holding her hand. "We can do it together." It was her turn to protest this time. "I've been through this before, Artemis. Trust me and I'll trust you." Too tired and seeing no point in arguing anyway, she nodded and tightened her grip on his hand. They allowed the corpse to grab hold of their legs. The floor opened up and they were dragged downward.

8 8 8

When Artemis finally woke up, she did so quietly. There was no screaming or crying, just silence. Wally burst through her door followed by Ollie, Dinah, M'gann, and J'onn. The speedster held on to her and she held on to him. Neither of them were embarrassed because they had felt too much pain together after they had been dragged down. When anyone asked neither would tell about the events after Mrs. Crock had pulled them in to their own personal hell. They just sat and comforted each other.

**This chapter was actually from TroyEmbry's suggestion. And I added Spitfire because I think it's adorable. Definitely keep the reviews coming. I can get lost without them. If you have any more ideas I'm ready to hear them otherwise please tell me what I'm doing right or wrong? Yay, continuity!**

**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**

**EmmaLemon**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry the updates so late. I got started too late and I was really busy last week. But I finally got this chapter done. Now let's just get this show on the road.**

"But, that's not fair," Artemis argued. "My arm is perfectly healed." It'd had been six weeks since Sportsmaster had pushed his own daughter of a Star City rooftop. The weeks that had followed the incident had been hell for everyone. Artemis's nightmares were "under control", meaning her nightmares were no longer every night. Wally had taught her a trick that allowed her to wake up from her dreams without screaming and had instructed her to call him whenever her nightmares got too horrible. Things around the Queen household improved but even without the sleepless night Ollie still had to keep an eye on his protégé. Unable to patrol, Artemis had nothing to do all day except go to school but that didn't take her mind off of things like a mission did.

Now that she had gotten her cast off, the young archer wanted nothing more than to go patrolling and forget everything that had happen to her. The only thing in her way was Ollie, who insisted she need a few more days of rest and some training before she headed out.

"Absolutely not," he replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. The situation reminded of all the times he had grounded Roy because the boy had done something stupid with Wally and Dick. It would have been hilarious if Ollie wasn't worrying about the welfare of his adopted daughter. "You may train tomorrow in the cave and if you are still in perfect shape for fighting I'll let you go. Until then you're staying here."

"You need me out there."Artemis pointed to the TV, which was currently covering the news a recent jail break in a Star City prison. The screen showed the images of Black Canary and Red Arrow already out rounding up the criminals. The anchor was reading off the list of names of the escapees, each name accompanied with the person's mug shot. "I_ need _to get out there. I can't spend another night alone in this house. I'll go insane. Please Ollie, I can help you guys."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, turning away from her. All of her pleas were falling on deaf ears. "I trust you enough to think you'll stay here but, I catch you out patrolling tonight I can guarantee there will be no missions for a month." He grabbed his mask off the counter and, after a few drops of spirit gum, stuck it to his face.

She watched him stride out of the kitchen. It took only a few seconds for her to make up her mind. After she was positive Oliver was gone, Artemis ran up to her room, changed in to her costume, and pulled out her bow. The weapon felt right in her hand, like she had the rest of her arm back. She quickly tested her abilities, pulling the bow back, aiming, and throwing a punch with a bow in her hand. Those six weeks had made her rusty but she would work out the kinks when she got out there.

Before she left she checked her e-mail on the computer Ollie had gotten her for school. Robin had promised to contact her if he found out any information about her mother's murder. Five new e-mails showed up on her screen but none of them were from the boy wonder. Biting her lip, Artemis built up all her courage and crept out of her room.

It was a tad tricky for her to maneuver from one camera's blind spot to the next once she had reached the outside. Still, she made it to the outskirts of the Queen estate, hopefully, without being spotted by a camera. She pressed herself against the trunk of one of the trees that surrounded the manor and stopped to catch her breath. After a quick check for anyone who might have been around, she sprinted towards the city and began her search for a zeta beam.

Less than ten minutes later, Artemis was standing in the middle of a dark alley not far from her old apartment in Gotham. Clear across the United States, Star City had clear skies and the sun was just beginning to set. In Gotham, it was pouring with thunder rumbling in the distance and it was almost midnight. The clouds were stained a yellow-grey by the street lamps and from her position she could just see the bat signal over the top of a nearby building. Trash littered the streets making it close to impossible to walk without tripping. The street light closest to her flickered rapidly before going out completely. A car passed the alley, throwing its head lights across the walls, and a group of guys turned down the alleyway. Before any of them could see her, Artemis scrambled up a contiguous fire escape.

On the roof, she paused to look out at _her _city. She was hit with the fact that she really missed this city, no matter how terrible it was. More than that, she missed her mom. Badly.

She shook off the feeling and focused on her mission. Jumping from roof top to roof top and only occasionally using a grappling arrow, she travelled back to her old home, the path still committed to memory. It was only when she reached the roof of her apartment building did she realize she had no idea what she was looking for here. Hopefully, she'd know it when she saw it.

As a flash of lightning lit up the sky she pulled up her window. With enough luck, none of the neighbor's would decide to look out their window and find her sneaking into the building. Artemis swung herself into the room she used to call her bedroom. Without her bedding and her sister's poster the room seemed even barer than before. The foreign familiarity of it all sent shivers down her spine. She rubbed her arms, trying to forget the feeling, as she stepped into the family room. Her mother's body had been moved long ago but the blood stains in the carpet and on the walls remained. Not much had changed since she had last seen her old home. The young archer silently ambled down the hall way, staring intently at each picture that hung along the way. She could only actually see them when lightning flashed through a window but she knew them all be heart, down to the smallest details. The room was illuminated once more and she realized she was standing in the kitchen.

A few dirty dishes still sat in the sink. The box of cereal she had left out in an attempt to get to school on time was still on the table, but it wasn't alone. A small box wrapped in colourful paper sat on the table. Unlike everything else, this item hadn't gathered a speck of dust. A note on a simple white sheet of paper accompanied the gift. Artemis picked up the note with a shaky hand and unfolded it. The message was plain and clear.

_I see you, Artemis._

She dropped the sheet of paper as another flash of lightning lit up the room around her. She glanced around in case the person who had written the note was still around. The apartment was as empty as ever but her whole body was shaking as she removed the wrapping paper from the box. Inside a mass of tissue paper cautioned the real 'gift'. The blonde's eyes grew wide as she comprehended what she was looking at. One by one she flipped through the pictures she had pulled out of the tissue paper. There were recent photos of Oliver, Dinah, Roy, Wally, and all of the other members of the team. A few pictures of her were slipped into the pile too. On the back of one of the pictures of Oliver was more writing. The scrawling letters relayed the simple messages; "Their next", "You can run but you can't hide", and many other notes all addressed to her.

A chill ran down the back of her neck causing her to look up in time to see a figure in the doorway to her old room. Another flash of lightning made the male figure unrecognizable as it backed away from her and moved towards the window. She pulled out an arrow and notched it but the intruder was already out the window with her now on its tail.

By the time Artemis reached the roof the figure was several building's away. She chased after him as he headed towards the center of the city. The sounds of traffic grew nearer with each building until she reached one of the busy streets. The figure was already on a building across the intersection. She swung over the cars using a grappling arrow and continued to pursue him. They headed out of the residential area and into the heart of the city. The intruder swung up onto a gargoyle of a nearby church and hopped up on to a taller building. As Artemis followed the figure's path a movement on another gargoyle caught her eye. Was she just led into a trap? But she wasn't attacked so she continued to follow the first person.

She took her eyes off her target just long enough to glance at the building her target was heading towards. Wayne tower. The tallest and brightest building in Gotham. The figure veered to the left forcing Artemis to keep her eyes on him. He hit the end of the building and, instead of jumping to the next roof top, he dropped down six stories to the alley below. She stopped at the edge of the building and looked down to see the man had landed. He looked up at her but she couldn't make out any details from her distance. The figure took off once more leaving her behind.

Using a grappling arrow to slow her fall, Artemis dropped to the alley and found herself following the man yet again. He led her right up next to Wayne tower and just when she thought he was done running, he fired a grappling hook up the side of the building and flew upwards. The archer pursued him, noticing her supply of grappling arrows running dangerously low. The retraceable mechanism on her bow pulled her to the top of the tower.

At the top, she found her target standing there with his hands in the air. "It looks like you caught me," he mumbled. Now that she was stopped, Artemis noted just how cold and wet she had become. The lightning was too far by now to light up the figure's face but the thunder continued to rumble the air. She notched an arrow and aimed at his chest, waiting to see what move he would make. "How are you doing today, Artemis? I see you got your cast off. Why aren't you fighting in Star City?" Her eyes narrowed causing him to laugh. "Wouldn't Daddy Ollie let you fight? Or was he too worried about you getting hurt again?"

"Who are you?" Artemis demanded.

"A friend." His relaxed posture unnerved her. He wasn't ready to run or fight, he acted like they were long lost friends just trying to catch up. "True, I killed your mother and I'm planning on killing everyone you know, but you have to remember that I'm your friend." She was fully aware that she shouldn't let him get to her but his words were dredging up emotions she wanted to keep buried away forever. She pulled her trick arrow out of her bow and replaced it with a real arrow. "Good, you understand just what you're dealing with. Now, I wanted to ask you, who should I kill next? At first I was going to go after Daddy Ollie or that speed freak of a boyfriend you've got but them that other Arrow entered the picture and made the decision that much harder. In the end I thought I should let you decide. Tell me, who can you live without? Of course, they're all going to end up dead in the end, so you don't have to worry about favoritism." He had finally hit the point of no return. It would be hard to explain to Ollie but she released the arrow sending it straight towards his heart. The arrow never hit its mark, though. His hand reached out and caught it midflight. "Now, that wasn't very nice, Artemis. Do you always shoot you're friends?"

Artemis ran at him. All of her punches were dodged however. He yawned and glanced down at his watch. "Sadly, I'm out of time," he muttered. "I'll just have to pick my next target on my own." His fist connected with her stomach with enough force to knock her off her feet. He ran to the edge of the tower. "Good bye, Artemis," he called as he glanced back. She watched as her jumped from the building before hopping to her feet and looking over the side. He body fell quickly until a parachute blossomed from his back. As soon as he was most of the way down, an explosion sounded in Artemis's ear and she was forced forward, finding herself, again, falling from a building. Only this time it was taller and she was less prepared. She fumbled with her bow as she fell, trying to get a grappling arrow off and hopefully slow her decent. She was running out of time, though, and if she didn't hurry, she'd be a pancake on the sidewalk.

Before she could grab an arrow, something slammed into her and she was propelled in a different direction. Someone was supporting her as they flew around the building and landed on its neighbor. The landing was awkward and both of them fell on to the roof and rolled to a stop. The other person groaned. "What the hell, Artemis?" he moaned as he picked himself of the roof top. She looked up at Robin in disbelief. "You just blew up Wayne FREAKING tower!"

"I didn't," she hissed. Artemis pulled herself to her feet. "I was chasing the man who blew it up." She glanced down to find her bow broken and her quiver several feet away. Her arm was a little sore but otherwise she was pretty much unharmed.

Robin just sighed and gazed out over the city. "I'm just going warn you now. Batman's gonna be pissed."

**There we are. Ok, now that Artemis's cast is off I began to set the scene for some of the suggestions. I could REALLY use the reviews, don't be afraid to tell me what I did wrong. Criticism and complements are pretty equal in my eye. I need to know what I'm doing right of wrong so I can adjust. Thanks and Lots of love!**

**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**

**EmmaLemon**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ta-da! I finished this chapter! It took me longer than expected. But I finally got it done.  
>As usual this week's episode confused the crap outta me at first but I think I got it towards the end. I find it actually helps to forget most of last season. ;D Anywhos, back to the next chapter. Ladies and Gentlemen, the next chapter!<strong>

"Gotham's my city. Robin and I have our city under control," Batman growled, fixing his worst Bat-glare on the young girl in front of him. The girl, the same girl who'd stared down the worst villains in the world, shrunk back from him for a moment before boldly staring right back at him. "People were killed tonight because you."

"Bruce," Oliver snapped as he stepped into the room. The dark knight's anger turned on Ollie at the sound of his secret identity. "I can deal with this. She's not some criminal, she's my daughter. The scary bat tactic won't fly."

By then, it was too late, the damage had been done. Artemis lost sight of the world around as tears began to flood her eyes. People had died. Because of her? People had died because someone was out to ruin her life. Innocent people had died. For what?

She tuned out the argument between the two men as a small bird caught her eye. He waved her over to him. She threw a quick glance towards her mentor to check if he'd notice before scurrying over to Robin. He pulled her out of the room and down one of the hallways. The cave was empty, M'gann, Zatanna, and Conner had already gone to bed, Kaldur was in Atlantis, and Wally was in Central City.

"Don't mind, Bats," the Boy Wonder began as they wandered the halls. "He's in interrogator mode. I know it's scary at first but you get used to it. He used to use it on me when Wally, Roy and I messed thing up."

"How many people in Wayne tower were killed?" she asked quietly.

Robin burst out laughing so loud he had to cover his mouth to keep from waking the cave's occupants. Artemis could have punched him. He was laughing over the death of people. "Sorry," he whispered when he had calmed down. "It's just that Bats will find someone's weakness and use it against them. Wayne tower was practically empty tonight. All you did was scare the crap out of a guy named Lucius Fox. Bats is just mad 'cause he's Bats. It's his thing." They slipped into silence for a while. They walked through passages Artemis didn't even know existed. Eventually Robin stopped her. "What happened tonight, Artemis? I saw you chasing someone."

"Not now, Robin," Artemis sighed. "I'm too tired." She began walking again, hoping he'd drop the subject. But he didn't. The Bird Boy stepped in front of her and crossed his arms.

"I saw someone jump from the tower. What happened?"

She steadied herself with a deep breath before finally answering his question. "I went back to my apartment," she began as she wondered how she became this trusting. "I guess I just wanted to see it. But, while I was there I found something that shouldn't have been there and when I looked up there was this figure in the doorway. I chased him all the way across Gotham and caught up to him on the tower. He made some threats, the usual, and jumped off. That's when the building blew up."

She tried to step around him but, even though she was much taller than him, he stood his ground. "What did you find in your apartment?"

The fresh memory of the note and photos sent painful jolt up her spine. Each picture had been taken with the clarity that could only be achieved when very close. "I found a warning, from the man who murdered my mother." Robin's head cocked to the side, urging her to continue. "He's going after everyone I know, Robin. You, the team, Ollie, Roy, anyone I care about."

"There's something else bothering you," he said simply.

Tears sprung in her eyes as she admitted what had been eating her since she got to the cave. "And… I let him go. I could have killed him but I let him go. I _should_ have killed him. I let him go."

The Boy Wonder ran a hand through his dark hair. This was a situation he had gone through before. He knew the feeling. "Would that have helped?" His question caught her off guard. "If you killed him, would it have changed anything?"

"He killed my mother, Robin. How am I supposed to let that go?"

"You don't. You never will. But, trust me; revenge won't do anything, for your mother or for you. What do you do after you kill him?" Artemis didn't answer so he kept going. "It'll never stop, Artemis. If you kill him, you won't stop. You won't gain anything from killing him."

"How do you know?" she snapped.

"I know because I've been there. I went after my parents' killer once. I wanted him dead but when Batman found me… I actually tried to kill him but I couldn't." Artemis turned around and began walking the way they'd come. She knew he was right. "Artemis," he called after her. "Please don't drop down to his level."

She stopped. "Oliver, Roy, or Wally," she murmured without turning around. "One of them will be his next target."

"I'll see if I can find out anything in Gotham."

Artemis continued walking. "Thanks."

8 8 8

Wally had just gotten home from patrol when the phone rang. He pushed his goggles onto his forehead as he answered it. "Wally?" Artemis's voice asked from the other end. He searched through the refrigerator in search of some late night snack. Both of his parents were already asleep.

"The one and only, beautiful," he replied. "What's up?" Grabbing some of the leftovers from tonight's dinner, he popped it in the microwave and sat down at the table.

"Wally, I went to Gotham tonight." He could hear her voice shake.

"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly alert. Sitting up straighter he didn't notice the microwave's timer going off. She didn't answer. "Artemis, is everything alright? Do I need to come over?" He could hear her taking a few deep breaths. "What's wrong?" he repeated.

"Someone's trying to kill you. You or Ollie or Roy. I already told the other two." She paused before going on. "I don't know who he is exactly or what he really looks like but this is the same guy who killed my mother." He tried to reply but she kept explaining. "I don't know which one of you is going to be his next target but he sounded like he'd attack soon-"

"You talked to him? Are you ok?" The microwave went off again forcing Wally to get up and grab the food but he didn't eat any of it.

"I'm fine. I'm worried about you. You have to be careful. Please, Wally," she begged. Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Wally clenched his fists. He'd only seen Artemis cry a few times and those were only because of her mother's death. The fact that this man was still causing her pain pissed him off to a whole new level. Whoever this guy is, he's going down. At this point Wally was ready to do anything to make that sicko pay. Even if it was the last thing he did.

"Don't worry, beautiful," he replied with a smirk. "If he comes after me, I'm going to make him wish he'd never even seen you."

"You don't understand. I get the feeling he's more powerful than he showed me. Please be careful." Her last plea stopped his cocky remark in his throat. He would only cause her more worry and trouble if he went looking for her mother's murderer.

"I will be."

He sighed softly. "Thank you," she answered. "Stay safe. I'll see you at the cave tomorrow."

"See you then, Artemis."

"Bye." Once the call disconnected he dropped the phone on the table. He buried his head in his hands trying to block out this new fatigue. As he peeled off his mask and goggles he rubbed his temples. The leftovers were forgotten by now and the microwave door still hung open. The ticking of the kitchen clock echoed through the silence and pounded in to the speedster's brain.

With another sigh, he leaned back in the chair. Patrol had been tiring enough now he was struck with how much pain Artemis was still in. Someone out there wanted to drag her to a new low and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He'd never felt so helpless, so useless, before in his life. It was a horrible feeling.

If things kept going the way they were, he was sure he'd see Artemis cry more than he'd seen her smile. The memory of their walk through the Queen estate came back to him. "You fell for her hard, Wally," he muttered to himself. His voice was only met by the ticks of the clock. He closed his eyes.

It wasn't until the cold metal pressed against his throat that he reopened his eyes. A low chuckled drowned out the small sounds of the night. Wally mentally kicked himself for letting this guy sneak up on him. "Don't worry," the stranger growled. "This is going to hurt her more than it's going to hurt you."

**I actually don't like ending with cliff hangers but some chapters just have to be ended. Sorry. Also, I'm sorry it's shorter than the others but I couldn't add much more. So, yeah!  
>Keep Calm and Laugh On!<br>EmmaLemon**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back on schedule, school's out for summer, and I finally understand where the writer's are taking the show! Today's a good day.  
>I hope you enjoy the chapter because I really didn't expect to write a chapter like this. :) <strong>

Artemis woke up screaming for the first time in weeks. The nightmare had been new, bloodier. Falling back against her pillows, she checked the clock. It was just past nine and outside her window it was already pretty light. S he pulled herself out of bed and hurried into the bathroom for a quick shower. The steam and hot water calmed her tense muscles and racing mind. Afterwards, she tightly wrapped a towel around her body in a feeble attempt to keep the heat in. As she scurried back to her room she realized just how quiet the house was. On a normal Saturday, Ollie would have been up and banging around the kitchen as he tried to make breakfast.

She shut her door behind her, temporarily forgetting Oliver as she set out in search of something to wear. After pulling on her favorite pair of jeans and a t-shirt and shrugging on her brown leather jacket, she slipped out of her room and began her trek down to the kitchen. "Ollie," she called, hoping to get an idea of where he might be. The only reply she got was the silence of the manor. Automatically, her mind jumped to the stranger she had met in Gotham. Her head began to spin and breathing became hard as tears welled up in her eyes. _Calm down, Artemis,_ she thought as she gripped the counter for support. Oliver could have been gone for any number of reasons besides that. Surely if he'd been attacked he could have taken care of himself or… or her mother's murderer seemed to like making her suffer, so he would have left the body somewhere out in the open so she could stumble over. The last thought only had her running through the rooms just hoping she wouldn't find Ollie the way she had found her mom.

Finally, she managed to calm herself down. Ollie had been called in to the office early on Saturday s before. There was no reason today should be different. She had just calmed down her breathing when the shrill ring of the phone had her jumping a foot of the ground. With a shaky hand she picked it up, expecting it to be Ollie calling to tell her where he was. Instead she was greeted with a voice that spoke close to the speed of light.

"Took you long enough, Oliver. I only called a few hundred times before you finally picked up. I mean, I can understand you ignoring me the first few times but after that, I mean come on, you should have thought something was up," the caller rambled quickly.

"Ollie's not here," Artemis managed to squeeze in when he paused for a breath.

"Oh, hey, Artemis. It's Barry. Is Wally over at your house? His mother is worried out of her mind. Apparently, she didn't hear him come home last night and he wasn't in his bed when she came to wake him up this morning. He left food out on the table, which Wally would never do unless, of course, something important came up. I need to check here before I assume he's run away again."

"Wally's not here," she whispered.

"Oh, Ok," Barry replied a little disappointed. "Then I'll just check to see if he's at the cave."

Before the Flash could hang up she spoke up. "Why did you call me before the cave?" There was a short pause at the other end, as if he was considering how to reply.

"Because, you're the only thing important enough to him for him to leave without telling me."

They said quick good-byes and hung up. As soon as the call was disconnected Artemis began to panic again. Oliver was gone and now so was Wally. She thought back to the night before hoping to pick on some clue. That's when it hit her. He hadn't just been after those two. He was after Roy now too.

Finding his number on the emergency numbers list, she quickly called his apartment. Each ring made it harder and harder for her to stay positive. She was ready to throw the phone against the wall when she heard his voice. "Hello?"

"Roy," she began. Relief spread through her mind, at least he was safe. "Oliver and Wally are gone and I think they were taken by my mother's killer." He didn't answer right away. The silence bothered her as it grew lengthier. Just as she thought she was going to scream he replied.

"Do you know where they are?"

She shook her head before realizing he couldn't see her. "No."

He sighed softly. "Stay there. I'll be over in a minute."

Before she could say another word there was a crashing sound on the other end. "Roy?" she called into the phone. "Roy?" There was no reply at first until an all too familiar laugh bounded out of the ear piece. Her stomach tightened and her heart rate sped up a bit.

"I've got all three," growled the stranger from the night before. "Your move. I'll be waiting. You'll be able to find me by following these instructions exactly." He rattled of a detailed list of directions that led her to a nearby abandoned shipyard. "We can talk there and you can see your three favorites. As they say in the movies, come alone."

The call was ended before she could speak a word. This explained Ollie and Wally disappearing suddenly Artemis hadn't expected him to go after all three. Now that psycho had all of his targets. This left her with two options, call Dinah for help and risk getting them killed right away or go alone and risk getting herself killed as well as his three victims. _I'd rather die with them than live without any of them, _the thought hit her with such force and surprise that she had to grab the counter. It was completely true.

Running through the manor, she collected an extra bow and packed some arrows. As she stopped in her room to change into her costume her skin tingled with the anticipation of getting this over with. She glanced out her bedroom window; it would be harder to sneak around in broad daylight. When her preparations were finally done she slipped out the door and vanished into the woods.

Every once in a while, she stopped to catch her breath and check her surroundings, making sure she was on the right track and that no one was following her. She hit the edge of the trees all too soon. Her destination, at least, was close but the rest of the trip would be out in the open. She would have enjoyed staying out of the city to avoid the attention but the shipyard was pretty far into the city limits. She hit the city's edge; the old warehouse distract. It was one of the most clichéd parts of the city. Some buildings were in use by companies, others were abandoned, and every once in a while there was one in use by a drug lord or gang of thugs. The shipyard was just past these buildings, just a little farther.

As the shipyard came into view she froze. It was huge and completely vacant. It was all in all the perfect "bad guy" spot. Huge rickety cranes towered above a maze of unfilled shipping containers. A crumbling office building rose out of the labyrinth on the left and a storage building ascended out of the containers on the right. She could her water splashing against the docks in the distance.

She slid a trick arrow from her quiver and fit it in its place. Quietly and slowly, she stepped into the maze. She would have loved to go over the containers but the gaps were often too big. She kept an eye on the storage building, knowing in her gut that she should be heading there. The smallest sounds had her whipping around with the arrow pulled back. Her pace was too slow for her to manage but she couldn't speed up. The building crawled closer to her as each second ticked by. A rat scurried through a nearby open container. The tension grew as she inched nearer. Finally, she was standing in front of the entrance of the storage building.

The entrance was wide open and waiting for her. Sunlight filtered through the windows and the doorway creating a dim lighting. There were tons of shipping containers pushed to the sides. As her eyes adjusted to the poor lighting they roamed across the room, coming to a stop on a figure tied to a chair.

She sprinted to the figure, hope building up inside her. Once she was several feet from the chair, though, three industrial lights snapped on. One on the figure and the other two on two figures she hadn't seen before. Oliver, Wally and Roy were all arranged at equal distances from her. They were each tied to a chair and groggily waking from unconsciousness. All three were on platforms raised slightly above the ground. Artemis stood in the middle of a five foot diameter circle.

"Artemis," a voice called over the speakers, the same voice that had haunted her dream last night, the same voice that admitted to killing her mother. It sent shivers down her spine. "I'm so glad you could join us. I was just thinking of what I'd do if you didn't show up… or if you didn't show up alone. I'd probably just shoot all three of them." The young archer ground her teeth together.

"Do you just enjoy hearing the sound of you own voice?" she called.

"Last night got me thinking, Artemis." He said her name like it was the most important group of letters in the world. "You see, I was going to have you pick which one you could live without. That isn't very fair is it?" He barely waited for a reply before moving on. "So, I thought 'What would be fair to my dear Artemis?' and do you know what I came up with? No? Well, I thought, instead of making you choose who you could live without, I'll make you choose who you can't live without. There are three targets here, Artemis, and only one will be walking out alive with you. That lucky fella will get to be the last person I kill before I finally kill you. Does that sound fair?"

Wally was fully awake by the end of his speech. His emerald eyes were wide as they stared at her sorrowfully. For some reason, he wasn't gagged. "Artemis?" he whispered.

"Do you want to play a game, little arrow? Trust me, it's a fun game. It's a game I always win. Now, I'm in this exciting little control booth." A flash of light not too far drew her attention to a small booth with tinted windows. "From this booth, I can see everything in this room. Understand? There are three hidden guns aimed at the heads of your precious friends. I want you to use you head and figure out a way to free one of them without leaving that circle. The one you free will live, the other two will die. If you leave the circle they will all die." He paused to laugh. "None of them are gagged so they'll each get a chance to plead for life. Anyone alive at the end will live but there will only be three survivors; you, me, and the winner. On your mark, get set… GO!"

All three were awake to hear the voice explain the game and they were all looking at her with the same look. Wally was the first to speak. "Find a way to free the other two. I'll be fine."

She shook her head and took a few steps towards the speedster. "Wally…" Her words were cut off by a loud buzzer.

"You're getting awfully close to the edge of that circle, little arrow," the voice warned. She glanced down to find her feet just a few inches from the line that marked the circle. Artemis stepped back to the middle before looking back at Wally.

"Don't worry, beautiful," he replied with a wink. "Use that big brain of yours to get the other two out alive." She tried to argue but he nodded and silenced her. She turned to the other two with a grim expression. Saving both of them was going to be a daunting task.

She yanked the trick arrow that was fitted into her bow out and debated which arrow to replace it with. "Artemis save Roy," Ollie mumbled, earning extensive protests from his adoptive son. "Roy, I promised Brave Bow I'd protect you and that's what I'm doing. Artemis, use an arrow to cut the ropes around Roy." She didn't reply and instead continued to try and find a way to save them both. "Artemis," Green Arrow called again.

"Shut up," she yelled in frustration. "All of you, shut up. I need to think." Her hand fell on to two explosive arrows. She glanced around, trying to find the guns. When she found no trance she sighed. _Let's hope this works_, she half thought half prayed. "KF, are you ready?" The ginger smiled and nodded. "Ok," she whispered before raising her voice. "Ollie, Roy, keep you heads down." They all looked up at her trustingly. "On the count of three, one…" She notched both arrows and aimed them. "Two…" Roy and Ollie ducked their heads. "Three." Wally began vibrating faster than she'd ever seen. One arrow was fired, landing just in front of Ollie's feet, and as she spun around the other arrow flew from the bow, landing in front of Roy. Both arrows detonated blowing the chairs out of their position. Wally had just managed to vibrate out of his bond when the gunshots began. They all hit the ground.

Artemis felt a smile touch her lips as she realized she had saved all three of them. But the smile quickly slipped from her face as she spotted the blood and heard someone groan in pain.

**I so hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not quite sure if the story's going in the right direction. Any advice or comments are, as always, welcome. So, please review. And I might be able to get another chapter before next Saturday but no promises. ;)  
>Keep Calm and Laugh On!<br>Emmalemon**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I updated so late. I planned to update last week but there was house work to be done and I couldn't get out of it. (I learned how to put up siding!) Anywhos, I finally got it done. So here it is.**

The blood. It brought her back to the apartment. The horrible day where she found her mother's blood all over. Now, there was more blood, different blood. Ollie's blood. It was soaking through his shirt, staining the white fabric. The edge of the red spot crawled farther and farther from the wound. The crimson oozed further from its owner. Each second was sapping more and more life from him. There was so much blood. Wally was trying to help her up as Roy tried to stop the bleeding. Ollie attempted to help his adoptive son. Someone was saying her name and forcing her out of her stupor.

"Artemis," Roy called. "Get him." He jerked his head towards the booth, its door was open and its occupant's figure was receding. "Wally and I can take care of him." She nodded vacantly until it hit her. This was her chance to get her mother's killer. She was going to stop her fear once and for all.

She took off after the murderer at top speed. Her bow was gripped tightly in on hand, ready to be notched and fired. He led her through the building, around containers, and into the sunlight. She blinked a few times to allow her eyes to adjust as she continued to pursue him. The killer made a beeline for the water, heading towards a motorboat that sat bobbing in the waves. As she ran she pulled an arrow from her quiver and aimed it at the boat as he stepped on board. He shoved his key in but before he could start up the boat she called out.

"Another step and I blow you sky high," she ordered. The tip of the arrow blinked to show the charge was ready. She aimed it at the fuel tank.

The man held his hands up and turned around. A clichéd ski mask covered his head and his clothes were all black. "Would you really kill me?" he asked with mock innocence. She could barely see the blue of his eyes but he seemed so close.

She felt a smirk touch her lips. "Do you want to find out?" His normal coolness was thrown for a moment as he saw that she would actually kill now if he gave her the chance. He began to slowly clap, picking up the pace until he was fully applauding her.

"Congratulations, Artemis. You saved Daddy Ollie, the speed freak, and that other arrow. You stopped your mother's killer. All by yourself." She eyed him curiously as he chucked shortly. "You really couldn't live without any of them, could you? Yet you're living just fine without your mother." She narrowed her eyes and she fought back tears. There was no way she'd let him get to her now, not when she was so close. "I guess that means, after all this you're still just like you father." She bit down on her bottom lip, refusing to show her emotion. He took a step backwards and bumped into the steering wheel. The finger's that held on to the arrow twitched. "Do it. Take the final step. Kill me and become just like your father."

With a soft sigh she let the bowstring slack. He gave her a small smirk; he had won. Using all the speed she had, she replaced the explosive arrow with a foam arrow and in one motion she sent that flying at his feet. It exploded in front of him and quickly surrounded his legs in quick drying goo. His lower body was stuck as he pulled out a gun at took aim. "Why you little brat," he muttered, firing at her. She dove behind one of the containers. From her position she heard the boat start up. She swung around the container in time to see his boat take off away from the dock. Its driver was hacking away at the foam with his gun and trying to drive at the same time. She pulled out a tracker arrow and aimed it. Before she could let it fly, a mass of light and fire enveloped the boat accompanied with an explosive sound.

Smoke rose in a single column towards the early morning sun, staining the pure blue sky with a dirty charcoal. The flames seemed to sit atop the water as the stretched upward in search of something else to consume. The smell of burning fuel and charred flesh irritated her nose. It was so potent that she could almost taste the smells. She watched the burning remains of what _had_ been a boat for a few moments as the sun warmed her shaking hands. A sort of relief and satisfaction pulsed though her veins as she turned from the wreckage and headed back. She may not have caused this man's death but he was gone and she'd never have to worry about him again.

She ran back to the storage building with Ollie in mind. As Roy had promised, he and Wally had taken care of the injured man. They'd ripped off the sleeves of the Kid Flash uniform Wally was still in and created bandages from the fabric. Roy was applying enough pressure to stem the blood flow but not enough to put Ollie in pain. Both red heads looked up as she approached.

"What happened to him?" Roy asked.

"He's…" She paused to debate how to continue. "been taken care of." Wally cocked an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation. Her eyes caught on his as he waited for her answer. "I'll tell you later. How's Ollie doing?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"He's unconscious but he's doing better than before," Wally replied. "But we're going to have to get him real medical attention soon. We have to get him out of here." They all looked around but only saw the booth and containers. "I'm too low on fuel to carry him." The speedster ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

Roy shifted his hands carefully but a moan still escaped Ollie's lips. "I was taken here by boat," he muttered, moving into a more comfortable position. "If we can find that, we can get closer to the city." Artemis bit her lip. The boat he was thinking of was destroyed and she hadn't seen any others. They didn't have time to search for one.

"That boat isn't usable anymore," she whispered.

"I might have been brought here by car," Wally exclaimed. "At least, it sounded and felt like a car. I was blindfolded at the time."

"That's a start. Wally, search for the car," Roy commanded. The other boy nodded and took off, speeding out of the building. Roy turned his attention to Artemis. "Shoot off a grappling arrow and cut the cord. We can use it to tie on the bandage." She nodded before shooting the arrow into a nearby container. Using a real arrow, she began to saw at the cord. Unfortunately, the cords were designed to be hard to cut, making his orders almost impossible to follow. Roy realized this when she gave him a helpless look. "Here, switch places with me." He showed her how much pressure to apply and placed her hands in the right place then went to saw off the cord.

Artemis looked down at Ollie's limp form. Blood was starting to seep through the fabric. Tears pricked the young blonde's eyes as she thought of life without her mentor. "Please, don't die. You can't die. Please, don't leave your favorite niece," she whispered, closing her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. It was weird, she'd cried twice in one year. That hadn't happened since Jade left. She hadn't cared about anyone this much since Jade left, except her mother. After all these years, she'd finally found the fatherly figure she had always needed. Now, she might lose him.

Someone wiped away her tears causing her eyes to open. Ollie looked up at her with a weak smile. "I promise," he whispered, his voice rasping, before becoming limp once more. His hand fell to the ground and his eyelids slid down covering his green eyes.

"Artemis," Roy said, startling her. He held the cord in his hands. "Help me tie his bandages." He lifted Ollie up a little so she could get the cord underneath him. Another moan slipped out of the older man as she tied a knot around the fabric. "Let's try and lift him." They each slipped his arms around their shoulders and lifted him up. It was awkward since she was much shorter than both of them but they managed. Just taking a few steps was tricky and time consuming.

Wally raced back into the room. "I found the car." They followed him as he half led them to their only means of escape and half helped move Ollie. The silence grew as they struggled out of the building. "So," the speedster began. "What really happened to that psycho killer that kidnapped us?" Roy sighed but she could tell he wanted to know too. Artemis ignored his question hoping they'd drop it. Her mother's killer was defiantly not an ideal topic for the current situation and she really didn't want to go into her meeting with him at the moment.

"We heard the explosion," Roy explained, a little too comforting than necessary. Not that it bothered her too much. He was new at this whole accepting brother thing and she wasn't used to him respecting and tolerating her like this.

"I saw the smoke," Wally added.

A part of her knew that they wouldn't let it go so easily and that she'd feel better if she told someone. It wasn't even her fault. With a sigh she told them how she had chased the killer to his boat and threatened to kill him. She censored their conversation a bit but fully explained how they'd exchanged a bit of fire. "I pulled out a tracking arrow," she explained. "But before I could shoot the boat just blew up. You don't have to believe me but that's what happened."

"We believe you," Wally said as they reached the car. "Trust me, we believe you." He turned his attention from her to the black escalade. A look of concentration fell onto his face. "Um, guys, we don't have the keys." His shoulders fell as Roy let out a groan of frustration.

"Wally, hold Ollie," Artemis commanded. She let Ollie's weight fall on to Wally before walking up to the driver's door. Using her bow, she smashed the window and reached through to unlock the doors. The alarms blared but no one was around to hear them. She yanked open the door, slid into the seat and set to work hardwiring the car. Though she could fell the stares boring into her back she didn't care. All that mattered was getting Ollie medical attention, no matter what the costs where. Once the engine started up, the alarms kicked off and she stepped out of the car. Both of the red heads stared at her in disbelief. "Let's get the injured man to a hospital," she snapped. Their trances were broken and they helped her get Ollie into the back seat.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Wally asked as they all got in the car, Roy driving, Artemis in the passenger seat, and Wally in one of the middle seats. Roy stepped on the gas and drove through the maze of containers.

"My dad taught me several years ago," she sighed as she gazed out the window. He didn't reply, obviously sensing how touchy she was about her dad even after all they'd been through. The silence enveloped them once more as Roy steered towards the city.

"Artemis," Wally began, ending the stillness. "Do you think this is all finally over? Now that he's dead." She bit her lip. That was the question she'd been asking herself since the explosion. The worst part was that she knew the answer and it wasn't one she wanted.

"It's not over," she sighed. "Everything he did was planned perfectly, except for our conversation on the boat. It was sloppy. His actions on the boat were sloppy. He wasn't prepared for me to follow him. That leads me to believe he wasn't the one pulling the strings. Someone out there took him out and their still out there." She shook her head slowly. "It won't be over until whoever killed him is dead or I am." Wally placed his hand on her shoulder as Roy shot her a glance. They were with her until the end.

8 8 8

Sportsmaster watched his daughter fire off an arrow encasing the agent in trapping foam, for the fourth time. He skipped to the part where the boat exploded. "You knew he was going to fail the whole time," he muttered through his mask.

"He was a pawn, just like the little Arrow and the speedster. When a pawn serves its purpose and becomes faulty you get rid of it. There's no reason to keep a faulty pawn." Sportsmaster turned to the man who had ordered the hit on his ex-wife. "You're daughter doesn't yet realize that resisting is futile. She'll understand in time."

"Why not use the ones she loves as blackmail?"

"Do you care for anyone?"

The question caught Sportsmaster by surprise. He hadn't really thought of his loved ones since Paula had kicked him out of his daughter's life. Even though he was working with Jade, there was no love between them. They still couldn't stand each other. "Not anymore," he finally replied.

"She won't be useful if she has anyone left to care about. Since she refuses to let her loved one's go, we'll have to let them go for her." Sportsmaster glanced back at the screen as it played again, showing Artemis entering the storage building and finding the three victims. They may have lived through that but they were going to live for long.

"Just tell me what to do next?"

**I hope you liked it. Please review, and maybe look at my one shot story. ;P  
>Keep Calm and Laugh on!<br>Emmalemon**


	10. Chapter 10

**I didn't finish this as soon as I would have like but nothing I can do about it now. At least I got it finished.  
>A BIG thanks to everyone has reviewed my story. I kept forgetting to thank you guys. You comments always make me laugh or smile or write even faster. So, THANK YOU! And thanks to all the silent readers too!<br>Without further ado, the next chapter.**

As soon as Roy had made it clear that Ollie had been shot the doctors whisked him away to do whatever they did to fix gunshot wound victims. Frankly, Artemis didn't care what they did, as long as they kept Ollie alive. After that the three of them had been ushered into a waiting area. Roy wandered off to find a phone and call Dinah and Ollie's personal doctor. Artemis sat in the waiting area with Wally feeling the constant stares she got. That was expected though, since she was in costume, and Wally was probably getting some weird looks also. Still, it bugged her and only made being inside a hospital worse.

She hated hospitals. So many terrible memories were locked away in the clean white walls of the rooms. She'd give almost anything to be away from here but she had to stay for Ollie. Instead of running for the door she settled with curling up in a chair in the corner. Wally came over and sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. A few months ago Artemis would have punched anyone who would have told her Baywatch would have comforted her. Things sure had changed.

A nurse who was passing by stopped with a smile. "I wish my boyfriend cared about me like yours does," she said to Artemis, who blushed in response. She walked away, giggling softly.

Artemis sat there trying to block out all of her memories until she couldn't stand it anymore. She pressed her head into her hands in an attempt to fight back the tears but it didn't help much. Her legs began to shake so she pulled them up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and burying her head near her knees.

"Why do you hate hospitals so much?" Wally asked softly.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and unfolded herself slightly. "I've had some… bad experiences at hospitals." When she opened her eyes, she kept them on the ground. She wished he'd just drop it, but then, again this was Wally.

"I gathered that much. I probably should have to you not to worry or something but I want to know what's bugging you so I can make it stop." His words caused her to look up at him. He gave her a small smile. "What's bugging you, beautiful?"

Artemis rubbed her arms in an attempt to make her goose bumps disappear. "It wasn't one big event that made me hate places like this, more like a lot of little events that just piled up into a hate of this place. The last time I saw my mother before she went to jail was in a hospital. Not to mention all the times my father put me in a hospital because I was hurt in training. I can't count on both hands how many times that happened and I always had to lie to everyone there. Visits to the hospital would always be accompanied by talks about how much of a failure I was and how I could do better if I tried. The last time I was in a hospital, I just kind of snapped and ever since I can't stand going near places like this."

He was silent when she finished, almost completely lost in thought. It must have been a first, Kid Mouth without something to say. "Wally," she said, breaking the silence and possible his train of thought. "I thought that vibrating trick was pretty cool. I didn't know you could do that."

"Truthfully, I didn't know I could do that." His words sunk in quickly and her eyes went wide with the shock they provided. If she wasn't wrapped in to a ball so tightly her jaw would have hit the floor.

"Wally," she hissed. She shoved him harder than either of the expected. At first, she had trouble expressing her thoughts, the words were jumbling over each other, but when she finally found her tongue she made sure he knew exactly how she felt. "You could have gotten yourself _killed! _I thought you had a plan; you let me think you had a plan. You can't be so selfish or stupid, which ever you were at the time. What if your little trick didn't work? Where would I be then?"

"Sorry," he managed. "But, at least it did work."

Artemis slowly massaged her temples, attempting to calm down. Wally had tried to make the situation easier and. in truth, he had made things easier. Even if it was a risky trick. With a deep breath she looked up at him again. "You could have been killed. Please try not to be so reckless." Resting her head against his shoulder, she allowed herself to yawn. Her nice, warm bed back at Queen Manor sounded like heaven to her at the moment. "It was still a pretty cool trick, even if it was stupid." That earned a tired laugh from him.

Roy came back and sat next to them. With all of them sitting so close and looking as beat up as they did, they must have been a sight. The three of them, banged up and exhausted beyond possibility. Wally stifled a yawn. "You know what this scene is missing, Roy?"

Without missing a beat Roy chuckled and replied. "Rob."

"Just like the old days. Only Artemis is here, and when it was the three of us, normally, we didn't come here because someone got shot. Except for that one time. Usually, it'd be one of us who was lying in a hospital bed." They shared a smile as Wally pulled Artemis a little closer.

A nurse walked up to them, allowing them to go see Ollie. "He's drowsy and chalk full of pain meds," she warned. "So he won't be the best company and try not to stress him out." She led them to Ollie's room and left them alone. They piled in to his room and positioned themselves around the bed.

"Dinah's on her way," Roy informed Ollie. Just as the nurse had told them, Ollie was only partly awake but at least he was alive. Pain meds or no, he still had that Oliver Queen spirit to him.

"She's going to kill me for almost dying," he muttered. "Can I get another go with that gun? I have a better chance of getting out alive." He took a look around at all of them and quickly glanced at the door. "I can wait to get out of here, though, even if it means leaving the hospital's protection and jumping right in to Dinah's murderous arms. These people don't even want me breathing on my own. They're afraid I'll cause more bleeding if I so much as blink without their help."

Roy rolled his eyes with a laugh. They talked a bit more, Ollie joked and they all laughed. As she looked around Artemis realized that this is what a real family looked like and it was the family she had always wanted. If only her mother could have been here.

Dinah rushed into the room in the middle of one of Ollie's rants about the nurses. "Oliver," she called as she ran up to his bed. Her eyes shimmered with a threat of tears as she examined his face. "You scared me half to death. I thought- Roy told me you had been shot. Thank god, you're alright." She wiped away a tear that managed to escape her eye.

"This is the part where she kills me," Ollie laughed to everyone else in the room. Dinah let out an exasperated breath and smoothed back his hair. He flinched slightly. "Trust me; she's only pretending to care so much. She'll strike soon."

Artemis and Roy shared a look and nodded. "I think we should leave Dinah to kill you in private. Besides, Artemis needs some fresh air and something to drink. She looks like she'd going to hurl." The three of them filled out of the room as Dinah sat in a chair next to Ollie's bed and took his hand. Wally closed the door behind them. Roy turned to them. "Do you need something to drink?" he asked. "You really do look ready to lose you last meal." Artemis shook her head.

"I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air or something."

"We can take a walk," Wally offered with a small grin.

Before they could leave, a woman stepped out of the elevator, catching Roy's attention. "You guys can head out. That's Oliver's doctor. I'm going to explain the situation and see what we can do about Ollie's care." He left the tow of them and approached the doctor.

"Come on." Artemis and Wally retraced the steps that had led them here and eventually made it out of the hospital. They stepped in to the bright sun. It was barely nine 'o'clock and already so much had happened. A breeze from the ocean hit them, making Artemis shiver because of her short sleeved costume. There was a threat of storm clouds from the west but otherwise the sky was clear. Wally took her hand as they headed away from the hospital doors. Artemis could taste the salt water in the air.

"Well that was more excitement then I need," Wally yawned. "Life is plenty interesting without all the life or death situations."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish he would have just gone after me." She avoided his gazed by staring intently at the ground, the sky, passing buildings, anything but his emerald eyes. There really wasn't much else she hated more that being the cause of her friends' suffering.

Wally shrugged. "I'd rather be in danger because you care about me than be safe because you don't. Besides, we all got out alive and it was kind of fun." He swung their hands between them and winked at her. "It was almost like a road trip only not even remotely close." They both laughed. "And, about your dad and this whole hospital thing, I don't think you a failure. Actually, you're the most successful person I've met." Artemis glanced over to see him blushing furiously.

"Thanks, Wally," she murmured. What she did next surprised both of them. She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek, deepening the color of his face and adding some color to hers. "Thanks for everything."He laughed nervously and became very interested in the sidewalk.

"Um, we should probably head back now, to find out when Ollie gets out. And I should, um, probably call Barry. He'll be worried." Wally's eyes met hers as they turned around. "Don't take this the wrong way but, you look like hell, beautiful."

Artemis playfully punched his arm. "Let's go, Baywatch." She leaned her head on his shoulder and they headed back.

**If you still can't tell, I'm a HUGE spitfire fan. Wally and Artemis are two of my top three favorite characters. Anyway, please review and all that jazz and I'll see you next time!  
>(too lazy for my sign off thing-a-ma-gig)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews. (I actually didn't hate Depths in the end. Towards the middle though, I almost stopped watching, I was that horrified). I really hope you guys don't mind it when fluff is mixed into the story. Fluff is good for the soul.  
>And in case anyone cares, I still don't own Young Justice. (You all would know if I did own it ;D)<strong>

Artemis was startled awake by someone calling her name. She lifted her head and gazed to find she'd fallen asleep on her algebra… again. Sighing, she traced some of the numbers that had been smudged. Even though she'd been getting help for a kid at school, a friend of Bette's named Dick Grayson, and help from Robin at the cave she'd still been falling behind in school. She was still attending Gotham Academy, commuting via zeta beam, but now she was unsure of whether this rigorous school was the best choice. With Ollie recovering from his wound, which would take a really long time as it turned out, Artemis had been pulling longer, harder patrols along with team missions. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem but her nightmares still plagued her nights leaving her with little sleep and little patience. The domino effect began and she started falling asleep during class making it very hard to do the homework.

At least she hadn't been bothered by anyone who might have been involved with her mother's murder since the explosion of the boat. And Ollie was alive, that was a plus too.

Her name was called again. Artemis pulled herself off of her bed and opened the door. "Yes?" She yelled. Ollie never could simply walk up to her room and knock on the door. He always felt the need to yell through the whole manor just to get her attention. It was his way of filling up the empty rooms.

"Dinner," he answered. She padded down the hallway, surprised not to smell something cooking or, at least, the smells of take out. "I thought you could use a break from your homework," Ollie explained as she entered the kitchen. Her expression must have said it all because she was greeted with one of his trademark smirks.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorway. "So, this is your idea of dinner?" The island counter was covered with several small bowls, flour, and three balls of dough. She stepped forward and examined the contents of some of the bowls. Cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, spinach… Artemis looked up at Ollie. "Homemade pizza?"

"I don't have much to do now that I can't train or go on missions." He shrugged and leaned on the counter lazily. "Besides, this is a great dinner. Although, I would've liked to let you taste some of my amazing chili but whenever I go to make it the ingredients go missing. I suspect Dinah. She doesn't think the chili's fit for human consumption." He frowned. "She told me it was delicious at the time But now she thinks it tastes like paint remover. At least, Batman likes it." Artemis tried to stifle a giggle, though it didn't work as well as she planned.

"Paint remover?"

"Her words, not mine." He turned his attention back to the pizza. "Come on. I'll let you roll out your own dough. I used to love doing rolling out my own dough as a kid." Ollie covered a rolling pin in flour and held it out to her. Hesitantly, she took it. She had never made pizza before and was unsure of what to do. The older blond picked up on her uncertainty and plucked the rolling pin from her hands. "Like this." He rolled out one of the dough balls slightly. "You can use the rolling pin or you hands," he explained, grabbing the dough and throwing it into the air. It flew up, rotating as it gained altitude, just barely missing the ceiling before coming down to land on his knuckles. "You pick the thickness of your crust, the amount of sauce, and the toppings. Whatever kind of pizza you want." He tossed the dough up a few more times and laid it on a pizza stone. Again, he offered her the rolling pin and a ball of dough.

Artemis tried to mimic his movements; hers were sloppier than his. "I didn't know you knew how to make this." Ollie only shrugged in reply. She tossed up the dough. It didn't rotate and she almost missed catching it. "It's harder than it looks." She glanced over as he shaped the crust and slathered some sauce on his dough. "Who's the third ball for?"

"Dinah," he answered. "She's on a league mission tonight but she's going to need dinner when she gets home." Artemis nodded and continued her attempt at throwing her dough up in the air. "How's school going?" Ollie asked after a moment of silence.

"Good I guess." She had finally given up on stretching the dough out any further and slapped it on a spare pizza stone. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ollie glance at her in concern. She ladled sauce out onto her dough and spread it around, trying to ignore his questioning looks.

"You guess?" He passed her the bowl of cheese as he sprinkled mushrooms on his pizza.

"It's fine. Everything's fine." She could feel his skepticism as she added on her toppings. She had never been good at this whole 'normal' family talk. Her mother had tried talking to her like this but she hadn't gotten much more than Ollie was getting now. Besides, she could never tell Ollie that she'd been falling behind in school because of her increased responsibility over Star City. That just wasn't something you told an injured man, especially since he was injured because of her.

"And the team? How is everyone doing? Dinah told me she's seen a great improvement in your training."

Artemis stepped away from the counter, showing him that she was done. He placed her pizza in the oven, set the timer and began on Dinah's pizza. "The team's doing great. There haven't been any major injuries in a while and everyone's improving." She almost said 'I guess' again but stopped herself. Plopping down on a stool by the island, she rested her head on her arms and allowed her eyes to slide closed.

Ollie was silent for a while. She could feel herself falling asleep and tried desperately to stay awake. "Artemis," Ollie began, the sound of his voice starting her fully awake. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" She automatically dropped her eyes to the counter. Part of her wanted to answer yes and tell him everything, but the other part of her told her to keep quiet. The latter was much stronger and louder so she shook her head without looking up.

The timer on the oven went off, signaling that her pizza was done. She heard Ollie pull it out as she kept her head down. The two parts of her were waging war inside of her. The strong, bottle-up-your-feelings part of her was losing ground and tears threatened her eyes. "You know," Ollie said. He placed a plate with her personal pizza on it in front of her. "I know what it's like to be in your position. If you ever need to talk to somebody about anything, you can come to me, ok?"

Even as he said this Artemis knew her resolve was going to break followed by the flood gates holding back her tears. There was so much stress put on her at the moment that it had began to break down her mental barriers, no matter how thick they were.

"I miss her so much," she finally sobbed. Her eyes stung as they began to over flow. "I said so many that hurt her, did so many things that caused her pain. I should have told her I loved her more than I did. I should have…" She looked up to see him standing next to her, concern filling his eyes. "I miss her." Artemis flung her arms around Ollie as tears slid down her cheeks. She hated how weak she felt but there was no stopping now. "I've been nothing but trouble and pain to those around me."

Tentatively, Ollie returned her hug. "That's not true," he replied soothingly. "You're not trouble or pain to me, or Dinah, or Wally, or anyone else. Everyone who knows you cares about you." She shook her head quickly.

"My dad always told me he wished I was boy. He told me I could have been better, stronger if I had been a boy." Her whole body shook as she sobbed. "I could have been strong enough to save my mom or to stop you from getting hurt."

"That man doesn't deserve to be called you father," Ollie hissed. Artemis could hear the venom in his voice. It was true that Lawrence Crock had never acted fatherly in anyway but he was her father by blood. He had always used that fact against her. He reminded her enough that he would always be her father that she finally came to accept it. Ollie's words had reminded her of what Roy had said. _I don't care whose blood's in her veins, she's one of the Queens now._ She wondered if Ollie would have said the same thing if he'd been there.

Artemis pulled away with a false smile and wiped her eyes. Ollie nodded slowly, still monitoring her actions. He gradually went back to cooking his and Dinah's dinner. Nibbling her at her pizza, Artemis made up her mind about what Ollie would have said if he had been there instead of Roy. He would have said the same thing.

**Again, I hope you don't mind fluff. I really wanted to have some Ollie Artemis bonding. But, gosh, their characters are kind of hard to write.  
>Please review, I love to hear what you think as always, and I'll see (or whatever you call fanfic updates) you next time.<br>Keep Calm and Laugh On!  
>EmmaLemon<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh my gosh! This took FOREVER. I'm so sorry, please don't kill me! This chapter, for some bizarre reason, was extremely hard to start. And, once I had got it started I couldn't really write all that well. Again sorry.  
>Thank all of you who reviewed. I love all of your comments. They helped me so much. I hope I didn't pull a Spider-man 3 with this chapter. But here it is!<strong>

"This isn't working out like I'd hoped," Artemis muttered, attempting to position her hands so the ropes didn't cut into her wrist. Her quiver was laying literally feet from her. If she could reach that, she'd be able to free herself in no time.

"No. Really?" Roy hissed from behind her. He inhaled deeply causing his hands to brush past hers. "Because this is exactly how I wanted to spend my night, tied up and about to be killed." One of the goons with a gun spared him a glance before turning back to whatever he was looking at before.

Artemis rolled eyes. "Aren't you a bucket full of sunshine today?"

"The sarcasm isn't helping." He sighed heavily. This was supposed to be a simple mission. All they had to do was track down the robbers, stop them and throw them in jail. The usual routine. Unfortunately, this was more than a simple robbery. The two of them had stumbled on a group of well trained thugs. Drug trafficking thugs, as it turned out. Even so, this wouldn't have been a problem. Both Roy and Artemis were trained for situations, like this one, involving large amounts thugs with guns. They had snuck through the warehouse that was the base of operations, silently taking out guards as they went. Everything went according to plan until their little _miscommunication_ that led to their capture.

"You started the sarcasm fight. Besides, this is all your fault," Artemis snapped. "You shouldn't have attacked that guard without telling me." Her head was beginning to hurt from where they had collided. She'd probably have a nasty bump and a killer headache tomorrow. When Roy didn't reply she continued. "You do have a plan for getting out of here, right?"

"I'm working on it." The blonde flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. Great. While he worked on that plan, Artemis desperately tried to reach her quiver with her feet. Their pockets had been emptied of all knives and anything that might have helped their escape. These guys were smarter than the average idiot criminals that prowled Star City's streets. However, they weren't that smart. Artemis pushed against the floor with her knuckled and dragged herself forward with her feet until she was close enough to reach her equipment. She began pulling her quiver towards her with her boot.

A large hand belonging to a proportionately large thug who smelled of cheap cigars reached down and scooped up her quiver before she could get it close enough to her hands. He waggled a finger at her mockingly. "No escaping now. There's someone coming here that wants to see you." He exposed his yellow teeth in an ugly grin and pushed her back up against Roy. "Try a stunt like that again and we will shoot you." He turned from them and meandered towards the other goons.

"How's that plan going, Red?" she whispered once he was out of ear shot. He let out a frustrated sigh as the garage looking door slide open. Most of her view was blocked by large boxes but she could see the top of a jeep as it backed into the warehouse.

"Alright," someone called. "Load 'er up!" There was a flurry of movement as people began moving boxes and loading them onto the jeep. Orders and directions were shouted out making the warehouse so loud that Artemis had to wonder how no one ever heard the commotion and called the police. Most residents of Star City minded their own business but something like this was a little hard to ignore.

There was a quieter voice coming around some boxes. A male laughed loudly. "Everyone's so scared of 'em. We couldn't believe that they were his sidekicks. They practically took each other out." Roy stiffened, whoever that was was talking about them. The voice steadily got closer as he talked. "I don't know what you want with them, though. We were just going to dispose of them." There was a quieter voice that answered but Artemis couldn't make out the words. "Alright. We'll have the car whenever you ready to leave."

"Well, well, well," the second voice called as the owner stepped around the corner. "If it isn't my favorite little sister and my favorite archer." Cheshire crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her mask hid her face but Artemis could tell she was grinning. It wasn't everyday that she got to taunt her sister like this and Jade was defiantly enjoying the opportunity. "And Red's here, too," she added with a laugh. Artemis bit her lip and remained quiet. Meanwhile, she could feel Roy's finger's searching the ropes around her wrists. At least he'd come up with a plan. "What? No greetings for me? I can just feel the love dripping off of both of you." When neither of the archers answered she continued on without their input. "Well, this is just no fun. I guess I'll just leave you here to die."

The ropes around Artemis's wrists fell away after Roy fumbled with the knot and finally got it undone. Making it look like she was still tied up, she untied Roy's wrists. Jade glanced back at the jeep. "I think they're almost done loading up. I should get going." She crouched in front of Roy. He failed to stifle a sound of surprise. Artemis couldn't see either of them but she knew what had happened.

"Eww," she complained. "You're my sister and he's… he's Roy." Cheshire laughed as she crossed over and stood in front of her sister. She even took off her mask to look the younger Crock in the eyes. There was a confident smirk covering her face.

"I'll tell Dad you said hello," she teased.

"I didn't know the Light was into drugs," Artemis replied. "Although, it doesn't surprise me."

Jade laughed heavily and her grin grew wider. "Drugs aren't what I'm after. These guys have something else I need." The blonde raised her eyebrows, encouraging her sister to continue. "Something for a little… side project of mine." A man came up behind Jade. She turned to him and he nodded. "I'll be there in a moment," she explained before facing Artemis again. She crouched down so they were eye level. "It's been fun, but I've got to go. I hope you make it out of here alive."

"Trust me, I will." Artemis pulled her hands out from behind her and brought her fist up to Jade's face before the older girl even knew what was happening. The impact of the punch sent Cheshire falling backwards. Behind Artemis, Roy jumped to his feet. Artemis followed his lead. "Find her bows," she commanded. "I'll take Jade."

Cheshire had recovered and was on her feet again. "That wasn't very nice." She rushed towards the archer throwing punches. The blonde managed to get her hands up and block the blows. By then, other's had noticed and were on their way. Artemis was quickly surrounded. Within a moment, several guns were pointed at her head. Jade smirked and backed up. A quick glance around confirmed the archer's fears and she was forced to slowly raise her arms above her head.

"Hey," one of the men called. "Where's the other-" An arrow cut through the air, breaking open to a net that caught many of the gunmen and cut of the speaker. It was quickly followed by a few exploding arrows, each landing at the feet of the men and throwing them into the air once the explosives went off. Artemis gazed in the direction of the arrows and saw that Roy had found their bows. She nodded a quick thanks to him.

"Watch out," he called. She turned back in time to see Cheshire attacking. The older girl had pulled out her blades and was slashing away. Artemis managed to jump away from most of the attacks but one nicked her arm, drawing blood. Roy's arrows flew passed as he kept the gunmen at bay. Artemis ducked another slash and swung her legs around to trip Cheshire. She went down but didn't stay down. As she stood up, the blonde delivered a roundhouse kick sending her backwards. She didn't give up there, though. Jade rushed at Artemis again, combining the slashes with kicks and punches. Her attack pushed the archer back until she ran into a wall. She ducked the next kick causing Jade to ram her foot into the wall. Behind Artemis, Roy had joined the fighting by sending off arrows at opponents further away and punches at the close ones.

Cheshire spun around leisurely. "Looks like you caught me." With a quick movement, she threw down a smoke pellet. Artemis backed away, coughing. By the time the smoke cleared, Jade was gone. "Sorry I couldn't stay," she called from the jeep. "Places to go, people to see." She started up the jeep and it peeled out of the warehouse. Her sister raced to the opening but the car was long gone by the time she got there. The blonde stood there for a moment, panting heavily.

Roy had joined her within seconds. "Gone?" he asked dejectedly. Artemis slowly nodded. He handed her bow to her and turned to survey the warehouse. There were a few groans from the unconscious gunmen but otherwise it was silent. The younger archer grabbed her quiver from where he'd dropped it onto the ground. Sirens flared up in the distance. "Let's get going." They each pulled out a grappling arrow and swung up onto a nearby building. The two archers spent a moment on the roof, Artemis rolling out her shoulders and Roy checking to make sure no one escaped until the police came. "Nice work tonight, Shorty," he murmured as they prepared to finish their patrol.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "_You're_ complimenting _me_? Seriously, who are you and what have you done with the real Roy Harper?"

"Oh, ha, ha," he muttered.

"You're really starting to freak me out." Roy only shook his head. "We better start patrol again." She pulled out an arrow but before she could notch it a gunshot rang out and the sound of a bullet smashing into the roof spread through the air. The bullet had passed right next to Roy's head and buried itself in the roof top.

"Get down," Roy hissed. Artemis shook her head and followed the angle of the bullet. A figure a few roof tops away stood up and walked away. She watched it disappear and continued to stare at where it had been. "What was that?"

"That was a warning," she sighed, looking back at Red Arrow. "The game has begun again."

**Once more I hope I didn't pull a Spider-man 3 (meaning, I hope I didn't try to please too many people and ended up ruining it.) Tell me if I did. Someone asked for a Roy/Arty bonding and someone else asked for Jade and I had to try and lead back into the plot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me if you did!  
>(I apologize if the last chapter was a little too fillery. This story wasn't actually supposed to be this action-y but that's how it turned out!)<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**I love all of you! 101 reviews! I'm going to paint spots on them and call them my 101 review Dalmatians! Seriously guys, you rock!  
>This chapter is an old suggestion from a chapter 4 review or something. I hope you like it.<strong>

Roy was hesitant about splitting up after he'd been shot at but Artemis finally convinced him that it was safe. After telling her for the billionth time to be careful and giving her one of his older brother looks, he took off on his route. She was left to her own patrol and her own thoughts. In a way she was glad that there was someone after her again. She had been put on high alert, constantly waiting for the other side to make their move. It was tiring. At the same time, the cold fear she had felt before had returned as she wonder who and when they would attack next. Those two emotions had combined that night leaving Artemis physically exhausted and emotionally drained.

As she made her way through Star City she had nothing to protect herself from her own thoughts. The night was quiet and the only action she came across was a simple mugging. She took care of that on auto pilot as her mind began formulating different scenarios that she might have to go through. Mostly, though, she wondered about how she'd keep the people she cared about safe. More so with Ollie because he was still healing from the gunshot wound.

Artemis was still lost in thought when the ice hit her foot and stopped her midstride. She was jolted into reality and immediately had her bow ready to be fired. Her eyes darted around, searching for her attacker. He didn't even have to step out of the shadows for her to know who he was. There were only two ice villains in Star City and only one who'd been released from Belle Reve. Still, he stepped into the light and allowed her to see the smirk on his face. The glow of the streetlamp caught on his eyes making him look sinister instead of just a minor threat, the latter was usual.

"Artemis," Icicle Jr. murmured slowly. "You've changed." His smirk was swiftly replaced by a frown.

The archer shook her head at the memories connected to his face. It's not like they had been really close as kids but they had shared a few training exercises and often saw each other when their fathers met up. They had developed a loose friendship, not because they had common interests but because they need something to pass the time during their fathers meetings. More than once, they were found wrestling because one had angered the other, normally with Artemis winning. A few times they were left together for a day or two because their parents were working on some project together away from home. Their not-quite-friendship fell apart completely when Artemis's mother returned from prison and there was no need for Sportsmaster to take his daughter to meetings, mostly because he had absolutely no custody over her. Since then, the two had rarely seen each despite both of them now inhabiting Star City.

"You haven't changed one bit, Frostbite." She saw him cringe at her old nickname for him. "What do you want?" she asked as she pulled out an arrow and chipped away at the ice around her foot until she could shake it loose. The whole time she waited for his answer but got nothing. "Well?"

His usually calm and cool demeanor broke down showing just how nervous he was about being here. His behavior definitely wasn't normal. "I came here to try to convince you to join," he replied. "It'll be easier if you do and none of your goody-goody friends will get hurt… much." As he spoke he gained his typical confidence back. "Most of them will get to live if you just join."

"Join what?" She spun the arrow in her hand and watched Cameron's eyes follow the tip. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to replicate the Bat glare but she got the feeling it didn't have the same effect. Instead she fixed him with one of the glares she gave Wally all the time.

"I'm not supposed to tell you much but it's like the club you're in with your little hero friends except the faces would be like the ones from the old days."

Artemis notched the arrow and aimed at Icicle Jr. "I'm not going back to the old days, not for you, not for anyone. You and your club can find someone else to be a member because I'm never joining. Understand?" Cameron nodded slowly.

"Yeah but I don't think you understand. The man in charge of this he wants you specifically. That's why he ordered the hit on your mother. He's gathered some of the most powerful people in the world." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Some more powerful than others." He shook his head and met her eyes. "Look, the point is, you won't stand a chance. It's like a game to him. There's nowhere you can run and no one you can hide behind. This guy, the one who runs the team, he always gets whatever he wants, no matter what he has to do to get it."

A warning shot was fired at Icicle's feet causing him to jump in surprise. He let a small yelp escape as he glared at her. "I'm not joining you club, period." Cameron tried to protest but she cut him off. "There's not room for discussion." Raising his hands in defense, he dropped and shook his head. "I have a city to protect. Do something stupid so I can stop you and send you back to Belle Reve or leave me alone."She would have loved to tie him up now and leave him dangling in front of the police station but he hadn't done anything illegal since his early release from prison for good behavior.

"How about something stupid but legal?" he asked, eyebrows raised. Behind his mask of mock curiosity there was a hint of his normal mischievous attitude. Before Artemis could ask what he was talking about Icicle at her. She brought up her hands into a defensive position.

"This isn't legal, Cam." He only grinned in reply. After throwing a few punches off to the side of her head, Cameron managed to get behind her and catch her in a head lock. Her bow was knocked from her grip and clattered on the roof top. "Let go," she hissed as she clawed at his arm. His laughed rang through the air.

"It's just like old times, only now I'm winning." Artemis landed a kick on his shin. He let out a hiss of pain and released her. She stumbled away and turned to face him. "Lighten up, Artemis. We're 'friends' now." She narrowed her eyes at him before lunging for her bow. Icicle kicked away before she could touch it, his stupid smirk plastered on his face. "What is it you hero's say?" He paused and pretended to think about the question. "Ah, yes. Freeze!" He shot ice at both of her feet, freezing her in place.

The archer sighed sadly. "Cliché much?"

He shrugged and stepped towards her. She reached behind her to pull out her knock out gas arrow but he grabbed her arm before she could. "Stupid but legal." He bent don't and pressed his lips to hers. She tried to push him away with her free hand but he caught her wrist.

A small blur of red connected with Icicle's jaw and pulled him away from her. He stumbled to the side. "I can barely stand Wally. Icicle Jr. is taking it too far." Artemis didn't even have to glance at who had spoken. She pulled out an arrow and hacked away at the ice around her feet for the second time that night. Her "savior" advanced towards Cameron. "She didn't look too happy that you were here," he said slowly as Cam rubbed his jaw. Artemis kicked away the remnants of the ice and retrieved her bow and the arrow that she'd shot at Icicle's feet. She watched Roy stare down the ice villain with a frown.

Another person decided to join their little get together and dropped down from a nearby rooftop. A familiar silhouette appeared in from of the light of a street light. "Was this guy bothering you, Artemis?" Black Canary asked with a wink. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. Icicle Jr. tried to hide the quick flash of fear that ran through his eyes but Artemis had spent enough time with him as kids to recognize it. He was truly scared of Dinah. It almost made Artemis laugh, considering Canary was shorter than him. The older woman flashed on of her scary grins. "If he was bothering you, I can make sure he won't want to see you ever again." Cameron's eyes grew wide.

"I can handle this," Artemis said with a nod. She strode up to Cam and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You're wrong, Frostbite. This is nothing like the old days. I'm on their side now." She gestured to Red Arrow and Black Canary, who both nodded. "So, tell your boss that I'm never joining your club. Got it?" Icicle Jr. nodded quickly as he backed away. He stood there for a moment staring at her.

"I hope for your sake," he began slowly, "that you'll change your mind." He hopped off the roof, creating an ice slide to help him to the ground, and ran off. All three of them watched as he ran through the ally and towards the street.

Next to her, Roy notched an arrow and aimed at the villain's retreating figure. "Roy," she muttered. "Don't shoot the messenger."

He lowered his bow and glanced at her. "Was that you attempt at humor?" he asked. Dinah laughed shortly before pulling both of the archer's into a hug. "Did the league mission finish early?" Roy questioned once she had released them. Artemis could see the small smile on his face. No matter how angry he was at Ollie he always welcomed Dinah's company.

"Yeah, I was on my way home when I saw Artemis fighting Icicle and thought I'd help out a bit." She gestured to her bike parked in the ally way. "What was ice boy doing here anyway? Trying to get back into Belle Reve?" Artemis glanced around at the melting chunks of ice.

She sighed. "He was trying to get me back on the dark side." Both Roy and Dinah shook their heads. "Apparently someone wants me on a team of villains and won't take no for an answer. Cameron said it's connected to my mother's murder." The older woman put her arm around Artemis's shoulders. "I could have handled him myself, you know. Why were you nearby, Roy? You were supposed to be on your patrol route."

"We were shot at. I wasn't going to let you run off by yourself when someone is after you." He had put on what Artemis had come to call his "big brother" face. His sudden change of attitude towards her still annoyed her. She crossed her arms, ready for the I'm-more-than-capable-of-taking-care-of-myself argument.

"How about I patrol with Artemis tonight?" Dinah interrupted before they could argue. They both tried to protest. "No buts." The radio on Roy's belt alerted them of a nearby robbery. "Come on. Star City isn't going to protect itself."

**Alright guy's, I hope this was as awesome as it sounded in my mind. That may have been due the AC/DC music I was listening to at the time. Anywhos, please review. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible!  
>Keep Calm and Laugh On!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm back! Sorry it took so long to update, computer troubles. I blame Jarvis. Anyway, thank you all for you support and reviews. I love reading your reviews and I promise I do read every review. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Artemis had barely finished her homework when the final bell rang. Most of the class rushed out of the room as she packed up her things. Bette was waiting by the door for her. Truthfully, Artemis hadn't expected to make friends at Gotham Academy, her new classmates seemed too different. Bette had not only become her friend but had welcomed her into her group of friends. "How much homework do you have for tonight?" Bette asked as they stepped into the busy hallway.

"Just math and chemistry." They jostled their way through the halls, weaving in between students as they headed to their lockers. Artemis exchanged her french book for her math book and chem packet as Bette loaded her backpack with her own homework. Bette grabbed her arm and pulled away from her locker a second after Artemis had slammed it closed. The two of them hustled into the courtyard in time to spot Barbara and Dick stepping out from the opposite direction. They met underneath their favorite tree. Barbara and Dick were in the middle of a discussion over one of their more frequent topics. Barbara's father, Commissioner Jim Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department.

"… and he won't let me breathe." Babs muttered. "I told him that he couldn't control me and I could join the force if I wanted to." She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and a few books in her arms. Her attention was fixed on Dick when they approached but she threw them a quick smile before turning back to her usual angry rant.

"Bold," Bette commented.

Dick raised his eyebrows with concern. "Maybe he has a point."As soon as the words left his mouth Artemis could see he wanted to take them back. All of them knew say something like that would only add fuel to the fire and divert her anger towards him.

"Are you siding with him?" Barbara asked. Artemis knew the redhead was holding most of her irritation back because Dick was her best friend. She still sounded ticked, though.

The boy's hands went up in defense as he shook his head. "No," he replied cautiously. "All I'm saying is I see where he's coming from. Gotham's not the kind of city that's kind to it's police officers. It's a dangerous job, Babs. Your dad knows that better than anyone. He just doesn't want you getting hurt. Gotham is dangerous."

"That's why I want to join," she sighed. "I want to make Gotham safe." She flicked her hair over her shoulder as her shoulder's slumped. A look of determination set over her face. Dick muttered something that sounded like 'I know where this is going'. "I want to make a difference," she added at last.

"Like Batman and Robin," Bette exclaimed. "Babs, I've got your solution. You should join Batman and Robin. That way your dad can't stop you." The now excited blonde grabbed one of her notebooks and held it in front of Barbara's eyes. "Nobody will ever know it's you. Well… except us… because we were here when you got the idea." The other three laughed at Bette's enthusiasm. "And," she added with a sly grin, "you can hang out with Robin. Lucky girl. I can see it now." She dramatically stuck out her hand to form a headline. "Barbara Gordon and Gotham's most hunky teenager."

Babs blushed as Dick sighed. "There it is," he muttered. Bette gave him a quizzical look, encouraging him to explain. "The day you _don't_ bring Robin's 'hunky-ness' into a conversation will be the day Joker kills the Batman," he explained, complete with air quotes around "hunky-ness".

Bette giggled and turned her attention towards Barbara. "He is completely gorgeous, though. Isn't he?"

Artemis shook her head and Dick rolled his eyes. "I'll never understand your girl talk," they said at the same time. The short boy burst out into laughter as Artemis only blushed. Normally, the blonde wasn't nervous around anyone but since the boy's guardian, billionaire Bruce Wayne, was the only reason she was here Artemis had always been a bit tense around him.

"Hey," Bette exclaimed as she looked around. Artemis followed her gaze and saw that the courtyard was mostly empty by now. "Do you guy's want to come over to my house and work on homework? My parents won't be home until really late."

Artemis frowned. She wanted to take Bette up on her offer, to be normal, but she had training scheduled at the cave. "I can't." She was startled when Dick said this instead of her. Barbara turned and gave him a questioning look. He frowned and shrugged. "Bruce is taking me to do some rich guy thing."

"What does a billionaire do with his time?" Bette wondered aloud.

Dick let out a quick laugh. "You'd be amazed." He turned and glanced at the parking lot. With a sigh he gave them an apologetic smile. "Raincheck. Alfred's here. I'll see you later." He ran towards the black limousine and hoped inside.

"What about you, Artemis?" Barbara asked once the car had rolled out. Both of the other girl's attention focused on her as they waited for a response.

"Sorry guys," she sighed sadly. "My uncle want's me home early. He's leaving for a business trip and wants me home before he goes." The two girl's nodded in understanding. Artemis saw the look that flashed by their eyes each time she mentioned her 'uncle'. They knew why she didn't live with her mother anymore and more often than not Artemis could feel their pity. "See you guys tomorrow." They said their good-byes and spilt up as they headed different ways. Babs and Bette heading towards Bette's home and Artemis walking in the direction of the old phone booth zeta tube.

The streets of this part of Gotham were always safe during the day. No criminal was stupid enough to attack someone in broad daylight with the police station only a few blocks away and gaudy high class citizens constantly driving past in their new cars. After a few blocks, though, Artemis crossed into the 'bad' part of town. The cars that drove on these streets were old and in desperate need of repair. A person had a higher chance of getting attacked here in the daytime. Even so, it was still a rare occurrence and Artemis felt safe because of her training and experience. Despite the change in crime during the day, no place in Gotham was safe once night had fallen.

Artemis stopped at a gas station along the way and changed out of her uniform and into her normal clothes. She stuffed her uniform into pocket in her backpack and continued. One car passed and caught her eye. It was extremity nice for this area. A black limousine, similar to the one Dick had climbed in. Artemis barely wondered what it was doing on these streets. The zeta booth was only a few blocks away from her old apartment and she could find it blindfolded.

When she arrived at the phone booth it flashed, showing that someone had just passed through it. Robin. She stepped inside and allowed it to read her face. The normal bright light flashed and the electronic female voice rang out. **Recognized. Artemis B-0-7.**

The main training hall was empty. Artemis headed towards the kitchen and found most of the team there. Megan was waiting by the oven for something to finish baking. Despite her past failed attempts at baking, whatever was in the oven now smelled delicious. Wally was on the couch next to Conner, absentmindedly flipping through the channels. Robin sung over the back of the couch and landed next to the ginger. Kaldur was watching the screen with a bored expression before picking up his book. Zatanna and Raquel were nowhere in sight. Artemis dropped her bag on the floor on the next to the wall and flopped onto a chair next to the couch. They sat there for a moment before the electronic voice echoed through the cave once more. **Recognized. Batman 0-2.**

"Batman?" Wally asked. "Yes! A Mission." The team filed into the main training room. Zatanna and Rocket joined from another tunnel. Batman was already pulling up pictures of various villains. Three pictures caught Artemis's eyes, Icicle Jr., Sportsmaster, and Cheshire. Besides those three, there were two other villains, Solomon Grundy and Killer Wasp.

"Team," Batman said in his usual gravely voice. "The League has been tracking the activities of several villains. What we've found is a link between these five villains. We know have proof that these five and many other villains have been forming a team underneath one man. Unfortunately, their tracks are being covered. You are to investigate this team and find out what they are planning. We have the location of the next meeting and I have already sent the coordinates to the bioship." Wally pumped his fist in the air. Batman shot a look at him. "This is an observation mission only. Do not engage anyone." Kid Flash sighed and frowned.

"No fun," he complained. "I thought we were going to go on an actual mission."

Kaldur ignored the ginger's outburst. "Team, get ready for the mission." Those not in costume ran off to change. Artemis ran to her room, pulled out her uniform and changed. She located her bow and pick her quiver up, slinging it over her back before heading back to the main hall. Some of the team members were heading to the bishop when she arrived. Taking one last look at Cameron's picture, she narrowed her eyes. _This is what he was talking about? _she asked herself. She followed her teammates to the bioship and took her usual soon as the whole team was in position the bioship took off, leaving the cave behind.

"Why those five?" Conner asked suddenly. "I mean Solomon Grundy, Killer Wasp, Icicle Jr.? What do they have in common?" No one had an answer to that question.

"I've fought Solomon Grundy before," Robin spoke up. "He's too good to be on a team with Killer Wasp. Actually, the fact that he's on a team at all is unbelievable. Grundy doesn't play well with others." Robin had criminal files of all five known members up on his wrist computer. "Icicle normally only works for his father or solo."

Kaldur was gazing intently at the sky passing by. "Sportsmaster and Cheshire were working for the League of shadows, correct? Why have their alliances changed?"

"They got a better deal," Artemis explained. Everyone looked up, surprised. Suddenly nervous because of all the attention, she bit her lip before continuing forward. "The family motto is 'everyone for themselves'. Neither of them have true alliances. It's all about benefits with them"

The others nodded with understanding. "We're nearing destination," M'gann informed them. Artemis glanced out the window and saw them approaching a small shack in the middle of dense forest.

"Alright, Miss Martian, link us up," Aqualad instructed. They waited less than a second for Megan's familiar presence to enter their minds. _Mind link has been established, _M'gann said mentally. Kaldur nodded and studied the area for a moment.

_Robin, Kid Flash and Artemis will be dropped of south west of the cabin, Zatanna, Rocket and Miss Martian will take south west, Superboy and I will take the north, _Kaldur commanded. _We will form a parameter a get closer to the cabin. _The team nodded and Megan flew the ship over Artemis's drop off point. KF set his suit on stealth mode and dropped through the hole in the floor. Artemis followed him with Robin right behind her. She glanced up as the hole in the bioship closed up and any sigh off the bioship disappeared. The three of them spread out and waited for Aqualad's command to move in. She stepped from foot to foot in anticipation. Glancing over she saw Kid Flash doing the same thing.

Artemis heard Robin's snicker in her head. _You two are so impatient. _Wally fixed him with a glare but before he could reply Kaldur's voice rang out again giving them permission to move out. Kid Flash headed forth, racing from behind trees. The archer turned back to Robin but he had already disappeared. She shook her head and scurried forward. Slowly, the whole team advanced forward.

Something didn't feel right to Artemis and she was about to share her thoughts with the team when a chill fell over her. She spun around to see Cameron standing there. Before she could warn the team he put a finger to his lips and pointed to a figure crouched in a tree a few yards away. "I don't think so, Arty. I'd hate for poor Robin to have a share of ice pierce his heart. In fact there's a member of _my_ team for each of your team, each one's ready to strike. No radioing a warning."

Artemis almost sighed with relief. Cam had no idea about the mind link. He cocked his head to the side before putting a finger to his ear. Holding up a finger to signal one moment, he sat there listening to whoever was on the other end. The archer took that moment. _Ambush! It's an ambush. Stay alert, _she shouted in her head. Cameron's eyes widened. "Mind link?' he whispered. His expression slowly changed to a glare. Artemis smirked in reply. "Fine," he muttered taking his finger away from his ear. "Have it you way." He swung his arm around, firing off several shards towards Robin's position. _Robin, _she practically screamed.

"On it." Robin's voice started her almost as much as the figure that slammed into Icicle Jr. It slowed down and dropped off the grappling line revealing Robin's form. He smirked at her worried expression. Cameron was already back on his feet."Two against one," the boy wonder laughed.

"Two against two," a familiar voice purred as Jade stepped out of the shadows.

Artemis pulled out and niched it as Robin pulled out a birdarang. "Wonder how the rest of the team's doing," he asked. They didn't have to wonder long because as soon as they began fighting Icicle Jr. and Cheshire one of the Young Justice team members checked in.

_Found Grundy, _Conner grunted. Slowly each member's voice ran through their heads.

_I am fighting Sportsmaster, _Aqualad informed them. Even in thoughts the team could hear the strain in his voice- or rather, thoughts.

Rockets voice was the next to ring out. _I found Killer Wasp, _she muttered.

_Count Vertigo's here_, Wally moaned. _And I am definitely not happy to see him._

_Looks like Wizard's here,_ Zatanna exclaimed.

_Gentleman Ghost is part of the team too, _Megan explained.

Artemis listened to the list as she fought off Jade. Robin was dealing with Icicle Jr. at the same time. Jade was attacking from odd angles in an attempt to throw her off. Some how Cheshire was pushing her sister backwards until the blonde ran into Robin's back. "Switch?" he offered. Artemis blocked another punch as she made up her mind.

"Switch," she decided. She tried to turn but Jade blocked her and kept her attention on her current opponent. "I guess not."

"Bend over," the boy wonder commanded. She didn't bother hiding her surprise.

"What?"

"Just do it. Make your back parallel to the ground." The archer gave one final kick to her sister, sending the older girl backwards. She then followed the younger boys directions and bent over. Robin jumped backwards using her back as a springboard to back flip off and towards Jade. Artemis straightened up and turned to face Cameron. She was just about to run at him when suddenly he stopped and turned to face the direction of the cabin.

A booming voice rang out through the trees. "Enough."

**Can I just say Gentleman Ghost has some class to him. Well, that's all folks. I'll update ASAP! Please review. Imaginary cookies to reviewers and... well, I'll just give them to everyone because I love cookies!  
>Keep Calm and Laugh On!<br>**


	15. Chapter 15

**Back again. So soon? Why yes! I finished part two of my last summer reading book and decided to reward myself with a little extra time writing. Isn't that exciting? I reward myself and you guys get an early chapter. Anyway, as always a huge thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and favorited. I also want to thank the amazing people who put my story on their communities. I'm SO honored to have all the love you guys have given me. You would not believe how happy I am!  
><strong>**Enough about that gushy stuff, let's get on with this chapter!**

"Enough."

Despite years of training that told Artemis _never_ to take her eyes off of her opponent, the young archer still turned away form Icicle Jr. and towards the cabin. She couldn't see the cabin from her position but it was a jerk reaction. From the corner of her eye she saw Robin and Cheshire turned towards the cabin also, both of them frozen in place. Everything grew quiet leaving Artemis wishing for some noise to take the pressure of silence away. After what seemed like forever, the voice returned.

"I want the archer only," the voice boomed. Robin shot her a glance as the words sunk in. His eyes lingered on her for too long and Jade used that as an opportunity to attack. The boy wonder took a kick to the jaw and stumbled backwards. Before she could see what played out next or try to help, Cameron sprung into action, charging at his old friend. She barely had time to react and only managed to throw a punch by the time he reached her. The ice villain grabbed her fist and twisted it behind her back. With swift movements, he knocked her bow out of her other hand, pulled her it next to her first one and froze them together like she was in handcuffs.

He shoved her forward. "Time to meet the boss man," he whispered in her ear. She was pushed towards the cabin. From behind her, the blonde could hear her name being called out by Robin. He quickly sent out a message to the rest of the team. _Icicle has Artemis. Anyone not busy needs to get to her aid, now, _he informed the team. Artemis didn't even need to hear the team's answer to know that she was on her own on this one.

The small cabin soon came into view. All of the windows where dark and the door was slightly ajar. She was dragged right in front of the door and Cameron nudged it open with his toe. Though light streamed in through the windows the cabin's interior was still dim. In the middle of the room was a simple wooden chair, the rest of the room was completely bare. Artemis was forced into the seat, an uncomfortable position because of her bound hands.

"Cameron!" the voice scolded as a figure stepped into the room through a door across the room from the front door. He was dressed in a red suit and his face was covered by a red mask. "Is that anyway to treat our guest? Unbind her hands and retrieve her bow immediately." Icicle Jr. nodded quickly and broke her hands free. The blonde flexed her fingers and small bits of ice were melted away. Once that was done the ice villain left to get her bow. As soon as the door closed behind him, Artemis jumped from the chair and lunged at the red clad figure. Before she could even touch him, he caught her by the throat, holding her there for a few seconds before he pushed her back. Stumbling backwards, she gasped for breath and glared at the man. "Please, Artemis. I just wanted to talk to you, like civilized people. If you'll just cooperate your friends will be mostly unharmed. I'm sure you're are a very reasonable person and you'll find that I'm also very reasonable."

"What do you want?" she hissed, her voice still a little hoarse. The man stepped forward, letting the light from one of the windows fall on him. Artemis managed to stifle a gasp as she saw that his mask didn't actually cover his face because he had no head at all, just a floating mask where his face would've been."Who- What are you?"

"Now, now, one question at a time," he replied. She could hear a smirk in his voice. "How about you take a seat?" The archer shook her head and backed up to a wall. "Fine," he snapped. He sat in the chair and stared at her. "We'll get to introductions in a moment. For now, let's focus on what I want." He paused to think it over a bit. "It's really simple, you see. I have assembled a team with the ability to take down the Justice League. Each member is here for a reason. At this very moment I have every member I wanted except one. You. The skills you have been taught by your father coupled with the skills and knowledge you've gained from those _heroes_" -he said the word like it burned his tongue, if he even had a tongue,- "make you a perfect addition. Understand?"

Artemis didn't reply. The man sighed impatiently. "Originally, I was just going to kill everyone you've ever cared for starting with that rich archer you work with. Oddly enough, it was you're father and Icicle Jr. that convinced me otherwise. They said you'd be easier to convince if I had continuing blackmail. Now, I'm not saying a mass murder isn't an option but I'm willing to let your friends live _if_ you agree to help me."

"I'll never help you," Artemis spat.

Another sigh was let loose by the man in red. "Cameron told me you'd say that. Which is why I planned ahead." At that moment the door that the red suited man had come through was opened to reveal a villain she recognized as Wizard holding a bound and beaten man. "You see, Artemis," the man continued. "I have no problem killing those who get in my way. That's evident by the way you mother was killed at my command."

The archer's eyes went wide and she lunged at the man. Finally, after all these months, she had found the man behind her mothers death and she intended on destroying this man. As she reached the man the front door opened and Cameron stepped inside holding her bow. Icicle Jr. stepped in and grabbed Artemis, restraining her, before she could do any damage to the man in red. She fought against his grip viciously, staring daggers at her mother's murderer.

"Calm yourself, Artemis," he snapped. "I thought I told you I wanted a civilized talk." He looked around. "Where was I? Oh, yes. There was more behind you mother's death than just to get your attention. This team of mine is modeled off of a pervious team that both you mother and father were on. It's where they met, I do believe. Knowing this, it was evident that Paula knew too much. She couldn't continue to live with that information." He gestured for Wizard to come closer. "As I said before, I have no problem killing this who get in my way and this man is in my way." The beaten mans face became visible and Artemis gasped. She struggled harder against Cameron's grip. Wizard grabbed the blonde man's hair and lifted his head so that Artemis's eyes could connect with her adoptive father's.

"Oliver," she screamed. Ollie was in civvies, his face bruised and his lip broken. He was bleeding from several places.

"I promised I'd introduce myself later and, well, now is later. I don't expect you to know who I am just by looks. After all, big debut was way before your time. If it wasn't for a sidekick of some hero, much like yourself, I would't even be here. I am Johnny Sorrow. Now, I don't like to brag but I have a pretty unusual talent. I can kill someone just by removing my mask. One look at my real face will kill anyone." Sorrow turned to Green Arrow. He planted a hand on his mask. Wizard seemed to panic and dropped Oliver as he scampered to get behind Johnny. Ollie fell backwards, face up, his eyes leaving Sorrow's mask to look at his protege. "This is just the beginning, Artemis. His death will only be the first until you decide we're worth your time." With the hand not gripping his mask, he grabbed Oliver's hair and pulled him to eye level.

"Stop," she screamed as she stopped struggling. Her head fell to look at the floor. she continued quieter "Stop, please. I'll join your team. I-I'll do anything, just… just let him live." Tears escaped her eyes as she refused to look at anyone in the room. The sound of Ollie being dropped and landing on the floor once more.

"Artemis," he whispered, his voice rasping. His partner and daughter shook her head and refused to look at him. Instead she raised her head and stared at Sorrow, who had turned to face her.

"Excellent," he exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Icicle Jr. release her and give the girl her bow." Cameron looked at him with a touch of doubt before carrying out his orders. "Remember Artemis, I can still kill him, kill all of them. Your loyalties must lie with me and the team." She nodded and wiped away her tears. Her bow felt heavy in her hand as she stared at Sorrow.

Cameron elbowed her eagerly. "Welcome to the Injustice Society, Arty." The young archer turned away from him in disgust.

"Next order of business," Johnny Sorrow said officially. "We're aiming to erase you days with Young Justice, so I think a change of your name is in order. Of course, you can keep your secret identity, Artemis Crock, but you 'hero' name has to go." Artemis narrowed her eyes at him but remained quiet. "I'm thinking something that'll honor your late mother, perhaps her old alias Tigress?" When he got no reply he continued without her input. "Perfect! Tigress. A strong name." With that established he turned his attention away from the newest member of his team and directed it at the other villains in the room. They responded by giving their leader their full attention. "Let's wrap this up." Icicle Jr. nodded and began giving the order to finish up over the comm. link.

As the Injustice Society began readying to move a familiar figure appeared at the door. "Artemis," Wally called, ready to attack the villains in the room. The hero's sudden arrival drew everyone's eyes to him, everyone's except Johnny Sorrow's.

"Tigress," he said in a bored tone. "Take out the speed freak. Leave him and the archer here for Young Justice to find. We'll meet you outside to transport you to head quarters once you are through." Sorrow, Icicle Jr. and Wizard left from the door opposite the front door, leaving Artemis to face Kid Flash and the past she was now leaving behind alone. Her eyes hit the floor as her grip on the green bow tightened. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment.

"Artemis," Wally whispered. "What's he talking about?" Slowly, the young archer drew out an arrow and nocked it. The pain of what she was now forced to do almost overcame her but she just repeated in her head that she was doing this to keep the ones she loved alive. "Artemis?"

For the first time since the speedster had arrived at the cabin, she looked at him. He was confused and worried as her took a few steps into the room. His eyes fell on Oliver's now limp form and more questions formed on his lips. Artemis drew her bow, aiming it at Wally, and let a few tears fall. "Everyone for herself," she said slowly. Using her shoulder to wipe away her tears, she steadied her voice. "Sorry, Wally. I got a better deal." His eyes grew wide underneath his goggles as the words left her lips. Without hesitation, the arrow was released flying full speed at Kid Flash. He sprung into action, jumping out of the way just in time. The arrow flew past him and landed in the wall next to the door. Truthfully, Artemis knew he would jump out of the way and was glad that he did considering she had used an actual arrow as opposed to a trick one.

For a moment, she didn't draw another arrow. She just watched the ginger's face as he realized he wasn't fighting his friend and teammate anymore. Kid Flash was now fighting Tigress, not Artemis. She drew another arrow, knowing that the rest of Young Justice would soon join their speedster and she need to end this fight. The stares of disbelief from all of them would be too much for her to bear. She notched the arrow and fired it off, with a speed that only came from years of practice. Kid Flash prepared to jump out of the way but was caught by surprise when the arrow tip exploded into a netting that wrapped around his body.

As she stepped passed him on her way to the door, his eyes connected with hers. "Why?" he asked. She flinched at the venom in his voice. "Why abandon the team? Why abandon Ollie?" He paused, his emerald eye boring into her grey ones. "Why abandon me?"

Artemis took a deep breath, willing the words to come out of her mouth, knowing they'd hurt Wally more than she could ever do physically. "He offered me something you couldn't." He flinched away from her before fixing her with a glare. That one look said it all. Within a few minutes he had grown to hate her with a burning passion.

The blonde stepped outside and into the full sunlight. The sound of an approaching helicopter caught her attention. "I guess I was wrong about you," Wally called from inside the cabin. His voice seemed to drowned out the noise of the helicopter. "We were all wrong about you."

She spun around quickly. "Oliver is going to need medical attention. Worry about him." Wally was stunned by her response. She had managed to confuse him even more and she could tell just by the look in his eyes. Artemis left him there as the helicopter hovered over head. A rope ladder was dropped down at the same time she saw Sorrow exiting the building from a back door. He was follow by Icicle Jr., Wizard and a villain she hadn't expected, Blackbriar Thorn. She went through the list of her new teammates as she approached them, smirking as she remembered how Cameron had said "some more powerful than others". Her smirk disappeared as the buzz of Young Justice's mind link communication filled her head.

_Miss M, _Wally's voice called out, silencing the other's. _Pull out of Artemis's head._

_Wally, why?_ was Megan's reply. Artemis squeezed her eyes shut, knowing he was going to tell. Icicle tapped her on the shoulder and gestured to the ladder. She was to go up after Sorrow. As quickly as she could, she climbed up. At the top a hand was offered to her, Jade's. A cocky smirk covered the black haired girls face.

_Artemis isn't part of the team anymore,_ Wally muttered. An uproar of protest began once he'd thought that. It hurt Artemis to know how much the team believed in her. _Just do it._ The last of the Injustice League climbed up onto the helicopter and it began to fly away.

_Whether I want to or not, _Megan responded, her voice weak, _I have to now. She leaving my range. Artemis, whats g-. _The connection was gone, her head completely silent. With the distraction of her old life gone, Artemis looked around at what was her new team.

"Welcome to the team, Tigress," Sportsmaster spoke up. A smirk laced his voice.

Artemis, Tigress, turned her eyes away from him and stared out the window. She watched as the cabin grew smaller. Before it disappeared she saw Young Justice arrive at the scene. She thought of Ollie and his almost death. _I'm doing this for you._

**I know you guys wanted to know who this mysterious man was. I'm very interested in what you think of this chapter. Please review and all that jazz. Until next time, folks!  
><strong>**Keep Calm and Laugh On!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I know I kinda left you at a cliffy and didn't update for a while. I've been reading like there's no tomorrow. But I'll make a bigger effort to update sooner with the next chapters. I want to get as many done as possible before school. ;) Anyway here's your next chapter. And a quick Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love all of you!**

The atmosphere inside Mount Justice was thick with the tension between the members of Young Justice. The whole team, minus Artemis, milled around the kitchen/living room area. Wally was sitting at kitchen island with his head buried in his arms. Robin was, as always, typing away at his wrist computer. He was sitting next KF and everyone and a while he leaned towards his best friend and whispered something to which the ginger would mumble a reply. Megan hovered in front of the oven nervously, waiting for the cookies she had started earlier to finish baking. She had stopped the oven when Batman had arrived to give them their mission to avoid a fire. Now, she was glad she had. Baking always calmed her nerves. Aqualad had just returned from briefing Batman on the details of their mission. Conner stood up as their leader entered the room. "Well?" the clone demanded.

"I do not know what to tell you friend," the Atlantiean replied calmly but the team knew him well enough to know that his voice was strained. He was just as upset as the rest of them.

"Our teammate has just been kidnapped and you don't know what to tell me?" Superboy exploded. "I know what to tell you. I say we go rescue her." M'gann ran over and put a hand on his shoulder, trying her best to calm him down. He shrugged her hand off and continued to stare down Kaldur'am, daring him to reply.

At this point, Wally's head rose for the first time since they had reached the cave. "She wasn't kidnapped." When the team's eyes fixed on him, his eyes dropped back down to the counter. "She left of her own free will. Artemis is gone. The sooner you guys realize that the better." He dropped his head back down. Robin watched as ragged breaths racked the speedsters body. Of all of them, the boy wonder had expected Wally to fight the hardest to get Artemis back.

"She left on her own?" Raquel repeated skeptically. "You expect us to believe that?"

Before Wally could react Robin jumped in. "I believe it." Rocket's attention was pulled away from the two boys as Conner began to yell at Kaldur. Most of the team joined in while the Atlantiean sat quietly, allowing the team to yell at him, and Megan tried to defuse the situation. The raven haired boy watched them for a moment before turning back to KF. "And you're sure that he had no head?"

"I'm positive," Wally grumbled in return.

Robin smirked. "Then, I think I know what we do next." The shouts from the team almost drown him out. He murmured something to Kid Flash, who nodded slowly and zipped out of the room. Conner was mid-sentence when the boy wonder pushed through the group and stood in the middle. The other teens were so shocked by his sudden appearance that their conversation stopped completely. "You're all wrong," he told them. "And since the only person who can tell what exactly what happened in that cabin is unconscious there is no point in arguing. We have limited facts but you all keep ignoring them. Instead of fighting each other, we need find out what we do know so we can search for what we don't know."

"I agree with, Robin," Aqualad said after a moment. The others nodded in agreement. "Where do you suggest we start?"

~/\~

**(I'm trying this out as a space holder. Tell me which one you like more!)**

Once she was absolutely sure she was alone and wouldn't be bothered, Artemis allowed herself to cry. In one afternoon she had lost everything while she had saved it. Everything she had worked to erase came crashing back into her life too fast for her to stop it.

The first thing she did when they had landed at was find a quiet, hidden place in hopes her new "teammates" wouldn't find her. That place turned out to be a small green house connected to the Injustice Society's HQ. She had spent a moment wondering why a group of villains, that didn't include Poison Ivy, would have a green house but she soon decided she didn't care. It was a secluded area she doubted anyone visited, so she wasn't going to complain. There was a small wooden bench hidden from sight of the door that she found refuge. Pushing her mask off her face, she dropped her bow on the ground by her feet and tried very hard not to think of Ollie or Wally or anything that reminded her of the pain she was. Unfortunately, her mind kept slipping to the look of hurt that had spread across Wally's face.

Desperately, Artemis tried to think of something- anything- else and somehow her thoughts fell to Bette, Barbara, and Dick. What would they think when she didn't show up for school the next day? They'd probably assume she was home sick but what about the weeks after? The archer would have done anything to turn back time and blow off the team to study at Bette's house. As she thought about her three school friends, she came to realize that Dick reminded her of Robin in an almost impossible way and once more she was stuck thinking of the team.

The sound of the door opening brought her back to reality. She stiffened, hoping whoever it was would just leave. The intruder didn't leave, instead he came around the corner, finding Artemis and revealing himself to her. "What do you want, Frostbite?" she snapped, somehow managing to turn the old nickname into an insult. The look on Cameron's face almost made her feel sorry for snapping at him, almost being the keyword.

He slowly sat down next to her, unsure of himself. This nervous Cameron was a side of him that few people ever saw. Gaining the courage needed to talk to her, he picked up her bow and turned it around in his hands, inspecting it's detail. "I know Sorrow can be… a little much at first," he began slowly, picking up speed as he continued. "I'm not going to lie, he's a real jerk but we all know this is where you belong." When Artemis's furious gaze landed on him, the ice villain threw up his hands defensively. "It's in your blood, Artemis. This is what Crocks do and you are a Crock."

Artemis hopped up too fast for him to react, snatching her bow in the process. "Why can't you guys get it through your thick heads?" she hissed. "I am a Queen."

~/\~

"Johnny Sorrow?" Conner asked skeptically. He had calmed down considerably once the boy wonder had taken charge. The team was congregated in the training/briefing room. Wally, however, wasn't present. Nobody but Robin knew where he had raced off to and the boy wonder wasn't telling.

The youngest member had pulled up pictures of all of the known members of the new villain team, with Sorrow's picture as the largest. "Yes. No one expected him because he disappeared off the radar years ago. Everyone thought he was dead." Quickly typing, he brought up a very old mug shot. "A former Silent movie actor turned criminal, Sorrow once faced the Justice Society of America back in the 40's. In battle, he was transported to some other dimension. When he returned the sight of his face killed anyone instantly. Eventually, he just dropped out of the light and everyone forgot about him."

"But now he's back," Aqualad finished for him.

Robin nodded with his smirk. "Exactly. Sorrow's back and one of our team is M.I.A., presumably of her own free will." He paused, challenging anyone to doubt him. When no one did he continued. "We've got a period of time where Artemis was alone in the cabin with Sorrow. When Kid Flash arrived, Green Arrow was already unconscious and Artemis attacked Wally." He looked around at the team. A look of understanding donned on each face. A smirk tugged at the boy wonder's lips. "We can't make assumptions. So, until Arrow wakes up this is all we know, correct?"

"Actually," someone quietly spoke up, startling the whole team. All eyes turned towards M'gann. "I heard something before I pulled out of Artemis's mind. I didn't know what she meant at the time but she thought, 'I'm doing this for you'," she murmured, the red in her cheeks standing out against her green skin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I didn't think it was important."

**Recognized. Speedy B-0-6.**

"Red Arrow. Red Arrow!" Roy stepped into the room, arms crossed and in full uniform. "I thought that was fixed, _Robin_?"

"Alright," the boy wonder said with his usual smirk as Roy joined the other teen heroes. "The whole team's here." Roy's eyes narrowed slightly before he shrugged it off. "Our information is limited so I suggest we do a little digging of our own. Perhaps we should pay this "team" a visit."

Kaldur shook his head and stepped forward. "I was instructed by Batman to keep the team here. If we do this, it'll be against his direct orders." While a few members of Young Justice crossed their arms defiantly, ready to go against even Batman, the others looked around in doubt.

Robin looked around at the group, bewildered. He stepped in front of all them, every move he made demanding their attention. "We've gone against him and the league before. That's how this team was started and that's practically what this team is built on. Artemis may have betrayed us but I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"What about Wally?" Raquel said, raising her eyebrows with some venom in her voice.

Robin answered her quickly as if he expected her to say just that. Knowing the boy wonder, he probably did expect her every word. "That's not the point. The point is, Artemis must have had a reason to leave and we have to at least try to figure it out. She do the same for any of us." The faces of his teammates told him his point had been made. "Besides, it's our responsibility to investigate the new team of villains." Doubt still lingered on some of the faces. Robin sighed inwardly. "I'm creating a team right now. I'll face what ever consequences Batman has to offer. Anyone who wants to join me on this mission is a welcomed part of the team. If your not willing to face this risk then stay out of our- or my- way." The youngest member finished his speech defiantly.

"I'm with Robin," Red Arrow confirmed almost immediately.

"No. We are a team therefore we face this as a team," Kaldur explained. The eagerness to ignore Batman and go after their missing teammate finally spread to every member. They all caved to the bond of friendship that the team had created. Heads nodded and ideas came into the light as Kaldur'am began to describe their secret mission. Robin let his familiar smirk fall onto his lips as he listened to their discussion. His part was done. All he could do now is hope Wally was having the same success.

**Not as much action but I'll get there. Thank you for reading and please tell me what you think of the chapter! Lot's of loves!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Finally! I didn't actually expect to finish this chapter so soon, but since my sister thought it was a good idea to introduce me to the legend of the Slender Man, I guess I'm just not going to sleep... ever. lol anyway, sorry this is so late. THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and favorite-ed and alerted. I'd also like to extend a shout out to all those who have stuck with this story. I know the updates can be sporadic and I'm sorry but thank you so much. I loves you! Now, on with the chapter.**

Artemis tightly gripped her bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. She walked through the hallway silently. Up ahead, the Injustice Society was preparing for their first meeting with every member. Sorrow stood in front of the others. If she wanted to she could shoot him now, he wouldn't even know what hit him. That wasn't what she wanted though, she wanted Sorrow to know who killed him.

The archer knew she should be scared out of her mind but oddly enough she wasn't. It was a quick decision for such a big one. She'd made it final almost immediately after she'd been left alone.

She'd lost her temper with Cameron, shouting obscenities at him until he had run from the greenhouse. After he'd left, her father had come and sat next to her. He wouldn't shut up about how he was proud that she'd finally joined the family business and how happy he was that they were a family again. When she didn't even look at him, let alone speak to him, he just left. Jade came in, also. The older looked at her little sister for a moment before silently walking out. Jade would never know but Artemis thanked her for that. Sorrow even decided to sit by her. It was mostly to welcome her to the team and tell of the upcoming meeting. Once alone, Artemis grew angered by the fact that she had finally found the man who was responsible for her mother's death and she did nothing about it. They hadn't even taken her weapon away.

There was one absolute rule in the Justice League and Young Justice. One rule you couldn't break. No killing. Seeing as how she was no longer part of her old team, their rules didn't apply to her, so it didn't matter that she was about to break it.

Now, she was about to enter the meeting. Her bow clutched in her hand like she'd die if she'd let it go. The blonde archer stepped forward, catching Johnny Sorrow's attention. Somehow he seemed to know what she was about to do yet he didn't make any move to stop it from happening. Before she dared to take another step forward she glanced around at the member's of the Injustice Society and absentmindedly wondered who would kill her when she killed their leader. She was positive that she'd die when she finally got revenge.

With slow deliberateness, Artemis nocked her bow and set up her feet. Sorrow's full attention was on her as she drew the string back. She aimed for the heart, making sure there was no possible way for her to miss. For a moment she sat there bow draw staring at the red clad man. The memory of her mother's dead body, covered in blood and sprawled across the old carpet of their apartment, flashed past her eyes. Oliver's bloodied, broken face followed her mother and was chased by the look of betrayal on Wally's face. She thought of her family, Young Justice, and of her friends at Gotham. A smile appeared on her lips and she released the arrow.

It was by far the best shot she'd ever made. It hit it's mark, flying through Sorrow's chest and exiting from his back. Artemis heard it hit somewhere behind him. All eyes of the room fell on her. "Now, that wasn't very nice." Sorrow's voice broke the silence that followed the whoosh of the flying arrow. He bent his head to inspect the entry point. "Do you know how expensive these suits are?"

"Nice shot, Arty," Cameron laughed. He gave her a thumbs up. "No wonder Ol' Johnny wanted you on the team." Artemis stared at Sorrow in disbelief. That shot should have killed him instantly.

"You see, Tigress. My body is not only invisible but also intangible. The only damage you did was put a hole in my suit." He poked a gloved finger into the hole in his suit and sighed sadly. "I can tell you are feeling rebellious so I'll take this moment to remind you that I can kill any of you friends by taking of my mask. I will not stand for mutiny in my team. Understood?" Artemis could feel her head nod automatically. She was still in shock. The leader of the team clasped his hands together. "Good."

Killer Wasp crossed his arms suddenly. "Sorrow, we've got the team together. Quit stalling and tell us when we get to destroy the Justice League." A few members nodded in agreement. Artemis, however, couldn't stifle her gasp of surprise.

"Perhaps you have forgot the last time you attacked the Justice League," the red suited man snapped. "You were defeated by Wild Cat alone. No, we cannot afford to blow our chances of victory by blindly rushing the League. This will take preparation and planning." Sorrow glanced around and motioned for Artemis to join the group of villains. She did so, rather reluctantly. "I have a mission for you. We need technology. Without it our plans are worthless. We need technology from Wayne tech and Queen industries specifically." Icicle Jr. cast a glance at the blonde archer. "Seeing as how these companies are in cities familiar to Tigress, I think it's important that she help with both missions."

"You are a crazy man," Count Vertigo hissed.

"Why, yes I am. Prepare for the missions. We are headed for Gotham first."

~/\~

The chopper had no side doors, which Artemis was grateful for. It allowed the cool air to rush over her face and calm her down. However, they were in Gotham, meaning rain was almost always expected. By the time the group got anyway near Wayne Tower they were all soaked to the bone. The team Sorrow had sent included her, Cheshire, Sportsmaster, Icicle Jr., Count Vertigo, and Solomon Grundy. Johnny Sorrow had stay behind because he preferred not to get his hands dirty. As for the rest of the team, Artemis didn't know or care what they were doing.

The brightly lit Wayne Tower grew closer with each second. Artemis picked nervously at her new costume. It'd had been Sorrow's idea to get her a new uniform. The fabric was a horrible orange and black. The shorts were uncomfortable and orange with black tiger stripes running up the side. Her top was black with orange stripes and a tank top cut. Sorrow had tried to get her to exchange her bow for a pistol crossbow but she refused to touch the other weapon. When the leader finally agreed to her choice he demanded the bow be painted that atrocious orange color to match the rest of her. She really didn't have a choice on that one but she did stop them from taking and destroying her old costume.

"Nervous?" Cameron asked as the helicopter hovered above the tower. The cables were lowered and the team began repelling down to the building's roof top. "Don't worry," Cam reassured her before they descended. "I've seen you in action. You'll do fine." He grabbed the cable and slid down. Artemis did the same and before she knew it she was standing on the building. Once they'd all gotten off, the helicopter flew away.

Cheshire quickly removed the cover off of a nearby vent. "Tigress, Cheshire, you two take the front," Sportsmaster ordered. "Clear a path for us but don't draw unwanted attention." Jade nodded and silently disappeared into the vent. Artemis hesitantly looked around the building top, taking notice of the part of the tower still under construction from the explosion a month or two back. Sportsmaster cleared his throat loudly, startling Tigress in to action. She followed her sister into the vent. It took her a moment of scurrying to catch up with Cheshire but she finally managed to get close to her. The black haired girl examined a vent cover before kicking it open and dropping into a hallway. Artemis attempted to duplicate her sister's movements but she ended up making more noise than usual.

"Are you trying to alert everyone in the building of our location?" Jade hissed when Artemis landed. Somehow the older girl had packed all the punch of yelling into an almost silent whisper. "Treat this mission like you would a mission on your precious little hero team. Got it?" The blonde nodded automatically.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. Jade signaled for Artemis to back up to the wall. As the archer carried out her orders, Cheshire flattened herself against the wall near the corner that the footsteps were coming from. A shadow appeared around the corner closely followed by the lone security guard it belonged to. He barely had a moment to process the sight of the villain before she threw an elbow into his nose, causing him to double over. She finished him off with a knee to his face. The guard fell to the ground, unconscious before he hit the floor. The older girl peered around the corner as Tigress took in their surroundings. Her eye caught on a movement off to their side. She glanced over at it to see a security camera. It's line of sight followed them as a posed to the normal sweeping motion. Artemis stared at it for a moment, knowing someone in the building knew they were there, before yanking out an arrow and firing it at the camera. When it landed it exploded into a sticky foam that covered the lens and stuck.

Jade didn't seem to notice her sister's actions so, Artemis didn't say anything. The blonde waited for a siren or signal or the sound of running guardsmen but none came. Cheshire motioned for Tigress to follow her as she slipped forward. They stepped into a similar looking hallway. It was completely empty. They cautiously strode forward. At the end of the hall was a taped off area that was in repair from the explosion. Next to the area was a door leading to a stair well. Jade made a bee line towards the door, signaling for Artemis to keep up. As they ran down the corridor, the blonde caught sight of another camera following their movements and dispatched it like she did to the last one. This time Cheshire noticed.

She put her finger to her ear. "We need to hurry this up." Distantly Tigress could hear the rest of the group clambering through the vents. "Come on," Jade commanded as she took off towards the door. About the time they reached the halfway point of the hall, the door burst open, revealing a guard aiming a gun at them. Artemis was already ahead of him. She nocked an arrow and sent it flying. It was a simple blunt tipped arrow but when it hit the man's jaw it delivered the force of of a well aimed punch. The guard stumbled backwards and almost tumbled down the stairs behind him. Tigress had another arrow notched before he could recover and quickly aimed and fired. She hadn't paid attention to which arrow she'd pulled from her quiver but she soon knew when the tip hit the guard exploding and sending him flying backwards. The younger girl skid to a halt when she saw what she'd done. Cheshire grabbed her arm and pulled her forward.

When they reached the stairs, Artemis stopped and checked the man's pulse. By some sort of sheer luck, he was still alive. A wave of remorse fell over her as she realized what she could have done. Jade didn't even bother waiting for her sister, forcing Tigress to pour on the speed to catch up with her. After they flew down two flights of stairs, the older girl kicked open the door, allowing them to see two more guards waiting there for them. Cheshire rushed at one of them, dodging bullets, as Artemis pulled another arrow from her quiver. This time, however, she was careful about which arrow she sent flying. A net sprung forth from the arrow capturing the guard. Jade had already finished off her opponent by the time Artemis was done with hers. The raven haired girl glanced at the still conscious man caught in the net before knocking him out with a kick. "Softy," she muttered with a glance towards her sister.

She stepped forward, examining the doors along the hall as she went. After a moment she stopped in front of a plain white door with a key card lock. Her finger went to her ear and she whispered something to the rest of the group. Less than a minute later, Sportsmaster appeared at the stairwell door with the others behind him. He stepped up to the door and inspected the lock. "Grundy," he murmured as he stepped back. Solomon Grundy gave him a glare before ripping the door from the frame. This action set of the alarm Artemis had been waiting for. A few member looked around nervously. "Let's just get what we came for." Icicle, Count Vertigo and Sportsmaster disappeared into the room while Grundy, Cheshire, and Tigress stood guard.

A familiar sound hissed through the air. At first, Artemis wasn't even sure she hadn't imagined it but when the distinctive clinks followed the hiss she knew exactly what it was. "Get down," she shouted instinctively over the beeps. She and Cheshire dove to the ground just as the birdarangs exploded. Grundy was too slow to react and took the full force of the explosion. At his size the force barely fazed him, but he was knocked of balance and stumbled around before getting talked by a black blur Artemis recognized as Superboy.

The two sister hopped up immediately, ready to fight. An arrow sped towards Jade who knocked it away with one of her blades. Tigress glanced towards the stairwell to see both Red Arrow and Robin standing there. "Time to go," Cheshire called the members in the room before turning her attention towards the two heroes. The older girl got into fighting position and motioned for one of them to attack her. Artemis followed her sister's lead and nocked an arrow, preparing to aim for whoever didn't go after Cheshire. Red Arrow was the first to move. With the speed that only came form years and years of practice, he fired off arrow after arrow, each flying towards Jade with deadly precision.

Knowing her sister could take care of herself, Artemis turned her aim on Robin and released her arrow. It pained her to watch her arrow spiral towards the boy wonder. She had no doubt that he dodge it but the action of shooting at a former teammate- and the youngest one at that- was unbearable.

Sure enough, the arrow flew past Rob and embedded itself in the wall behind him. The boy barely had to move to avoid it. He let two more birdarangs soar towards Artemis, both were non-explosive. Tigress spun to evade them as she pulled two arrows form her quiver. By the time she was fully facing the raven haired boy he was already advancing quicker than she expected. Her fingers slipped from the string and the arrows began to escape from the bow but Robin was already there, kicking the bow upwards and sending the arrows into the ceiling. Artemis blocked most of the boy's attacks with her bow but it was obvious that she was holding back and he wasn't. The blonde drew in a deep breath and tried to pretend she and Robin were just sparring. It worked enough to keep the blows from hitting her.

For the first time that night, her comm. link crackled to life. She absentmindedly wondered if they trusted her enough to keep her in the loop or if the message wasn't too secret. "The martian girl has found the helicopter," the pilot of the helicopter informed. She hadn't seen him much and had barely heard his voice but now she realized that Wizard was the one piloting the chopper. "Out planned pick will not happen." Sportsmaster sighed heavily over the link, sounding like static in her ear.

Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis saw the other members of her new team appearing from the room. She also saw Aqualad, Rocket and Zatanna enter the hall from the stairwell. Tigress got in a lucky kick, sending Robin back a few feet and giving herself time to notch two other arrows. She barely had time to send them flying towards their targets when Rob attack again. The two arrows exploded into two identical nets that caught Raquel and Kaldur. Zatanna opened her mouth to help but Jade summersaulted over Roy and ran after the girl, binding and gaging her to keep her from casting any spells.

Artemis managed to push the boy wonder away again. Once she did, her father was at her shoulder. "It's time to go."

**Aw, sad panda. Artemis and Robin fighting... T.T Well, I hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think and all that jazz. I think I'm gonna start the next chapter tonight. Again, please review. It'll help me figure out where I'm going with this story. (Oh, and if you have time check out The Little Things. I feel like it's the redheaded step child of my stories and I don't want that. ^.^) Rock on!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright, new chapter. I know it's been FOREVER since I updated but please don't come for me with pitch forks! A HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed as always. I love you all! E-cookies for everyone (if you review at the end I'll give you e-milk, too!) I hope you enjoy!**

Sportsmaster saw that there was no way his daughter could end the fight with her former teammate as quickly as they needed. Because of this, he gave her a small shove, causing her to lose her balance and stumble a few feet away, before attacking Robin head on. He was done with the fight within a matter of seconds. Ignoring the fact that he didn't fight fair, he began to usher the members of his team towards the stairwell. Solomon Grundy had somehow felt with Superboy. Cheshire, however, was still fighting Red Arrow but Lawrence knew she could wrap things up by herself. Over all, he was dissatisfied with the team of young heroes' ability to fight.

Artemis regained her balance as her father began to leave with the others. Jade was still fighting but other than that, Artemis was the last one not heading towards the pick up zone. She glanced around at her old team. Each one of them were mentioned except for Kid Flash, which made her wonder where the redhead was. She slowly glanced down at Robin's unconscious figure. A sudden longing to sit next to him and stay there until he woke up came over her but she knew she couldn't. Sorrow was to stubborn to just let her go. Still, she wish there was some way of showing her old team that she was still on their side.

"Tigress, get up to the helicopter," Jade called as she prepared to end her fight with Red. Artemis knew that there wasn't anything that would deliver her message so instead she pulled an arrow, a normal tipped one, and laid it in the boy wonder's hand. She heard the distinctive sound of her sister throwing a smoke pellet to the ground and suddenly Cheshire grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the stairwell. The blonde only had a moment for one more look at the old team, Zatanna's dark eyes following her accusingly, Red staring her down as the smoke dissipated, Robin beginning to wake up. Then they were gone.

The two girls raced up the steps but when they reached the floor above Jade kept running. At the very top, was a door with a keycard lock. "There was a door to the roof?" Artemis snapped. "Why didn't we use that before?"

"It sets of an alarm if you don't have a security card. Now," she explained as she kicked open the door, "it really doesn't matter." The cold damp air hit Artemis's face and blew through her hair. It was still raining but only slightly now. Overhead could hear the hum of the helicopter. She gazed up at the sky, blinking away the rain, and saw the smudge of the bioship's camouflage mode. If she hadn't seen it so many times she would have never spotted it. No one else seemed to have spotted the ship hovering behind the helicopter so, Artemis didn't say anything.

The shock of Sorrow's intangibility was beginning to wear off and the blonde was already trying to figure out a way to escape. Cheshire was pushing her to the rope ladder that extended from the chopper. She climbed as fast as possible, finding a seat by the doorless edge. The stolen equipment sat in the middle of the two rows of seats. Artemis was no technical genius but she knew Wayne tech was famous for it's cutting edge products. Whatever they had taken was bound to be important. She studied the tech, wondering just what Sorrow needed it for. The memory of watching Robin build the EMP emitter when they were fighting the reds came back to her. However, none of this equipment matched the things he had used.

Cheshire hoisted herself up into the chopper and gave Wizard a thumbs up. Tigress stared out onto the roof top as the began to fly away. Before they made it too far, Robin burst out of the roof door. She could barely see him from her elevation but she knew it was him. Barely a second had passed when she felt a small force hit her quiver. The archer did her best to pull the object out and look at it without showing it to anyone else there. Closing her hand over it she was surprised to find a round disc with sharp edges. A birdarang. Honestly, she shouldn't have been surprised. What else would the boy wonder have thrown at his enemies? But it wasn't exactly thrown at his enemies, it was just her. It was amazingly aimed, unless, of course, he'd been aiming for her body. This left her musing over if he had gotten the message in the arrow she'd left. There was no way of telling, especially now in the dim light with the buzz of the mission still effecting her senses. Later, she'd study it and possibly come to a conclusion. Until then, she slipped the disc into her quiver, feeling it fall to the very bottom and settle there.

The ride back to base was quiet. Artemis had often looked at the surroundings, hoping tho see the smudge of the bioship waiting nearby but she never saw it. The rain had stopped somewhere along the way but the chill remained stuck to them. Tigress almost broke in to a fit of shivers several times. Rubbing her arms, she watched as the chopper began to descend. They landed just outside of the base the Injustice League was using. Solomon Grundy unloaded most of the equipment but Artemis still ended up taking something inside.

Sorrow was waiting inside. He gave out specific instructions about where each item went. They followed with no questions. the piece of tech she was holding was taken out of her hands by Sportsmaster. She looked around, uncertain of what to do next. The red clad villain motioned for her to follow him. He stepped into a hallway and disappeared, leaving her to quickly follow. Sorrow stopped suddenly almost causing Artemis to run into him. Pulling a key ring from his pocket, he glanced back at her before unlocking the door. "I wanted to complement you on your outstanding aim when you shot me," he murmured as he pushed the door open. The archer peered into the darkness of the "That is, of coarse, the reason I chose you for this team. However, that little show you put on brought something to my attention. It appears that I did not make myself clear when I first persuaded you to join the team. You are now part of our team. Before you think of betraying anyone of us, I want you to think of this." He flicked the light on, revealing a figure kneeing on the floor. His face was shadowed but the distinct green hood almost sent Artemis to tears.

"Why?" she whispered as she sank to her knees. She'd meant for her voice to be louder but she could barely manage the volume she had now. "Why do you keep doing this to me? Why do you keep dragging him into this? Why do you want me on your stupid team so badly? I'm not the strongest or the best member."

Sorrow bent down so he was next to her ear. "Think of this as a little… experiment," he murmured. "How far can the young hero go before she breaks?" He laughed loudly causing the female archer to wince. "Really the only reason I need you is the information The League's given you. It, of course, had to be you because no one else had a past as dirty as yours. No one else has a father that'll give me all the information on how blackmail them."

At this point, Artemis wasn't really thinking about what came out of her mouth. "Lawrence," she muttered. "I'll kill him."

"May I point out," Johnny Sorrow began as he stood up and brushed some nonexistent dust off of his suit. "That it was your father who convinced me to let you hero friends live. He said they could be used as blackmail." Amusement snuck into his voice. "Who knew the hired gun had a brain?" He laughed and shook his head. "Really, you should be thanking him."

The blonde girl ignored him and crawled over to her mentor. She could feel the red clad man's eyes on her back but she didn't care. Oliver's eyes were covered by his domino mask but she could tell that they were open, if only slightly. "Arrow," she murmured. "Ollie." His head rose a bit. There were more bruises on his face then when she'd last seen him. She could see fresh stitches on the cut above his eyebrows, at least he had gotten medical attention before Sorrow abducted him again. A new injury on his arm was bleeding profusely. The younger archer dug her emergency bandages out of her quiver, almost cutting herself on the birdarang. "Why are you in uniform?"

"Looking… for you," Green Arrow coughed. Artemis winced at the hoarseness of his voice. She began wrapping his wound but had barely gotten anywhere when she realized blood was seeping out through his tunic. His bullet wound had reopened. Finishing up him arm, she tried to keep the tears at bay by blinking rapidly but they soon overflowed. As she lifted his tunic enough to wrap the rest of her bandages over his abdomen, Oliver reached up and wiped her tears away.

Once she was finished she leaned close to him so Sorrow wouldn't hear. "I'll get us out of this. I promise," she whispered before standing up, wiping away the rest of her tears and turning to the villain. "Why is he injured?" She demanded loudly.

Lawrence appeared in the door way behind Sorrow. "I don't like being replaced by some rich playboy," her father sneered.

"Sportsmaster! You have a job to do and it's not here. Leave." The mercenary bristled at the leader's command. He was already mad about the hero and he hated being someone else's puppet. However, he knew the power the other man possessed so he just angrily shrugged and walked away.

"You are not my father," Artemis yelled after him. Her anger was quickly turned back the villain in red. "He gets medical care." She pointed to Oliver. Sorrow tried to argue but she wouldn't let him get more then a word. "He _gets_ medical care because if he dies-"

"You'll kill me?"

"Well, for starters, you won't have a team left. Then, I'll find a way to destroy you and if I can't find a way, I will _make_ a way. He gets medical attention." She fixed her eyes on the eye holes of Sorrow's mask until he shrugged and agreed. Artemis smirked at her victory, even if it was a small one. The leader of the Injustice Society motioned for her to leave the room. She glance back at Ollie before stepping out the door. "I'll be back," she whispered.

Sorrow snapped the closed and locked it, watching her grimace when the lock clicked into place. "I suppose I should show you your new room. You have a bit of time to kill before our next mission." He started off towards the area where she'd found the greenhouse. She was lead past the door to the indoor garden and to a hall full of doors. They stopped in front of a green door and he opened it quickly. "I thought you'd like the color." Artemis pushed passed him, stepped inside and slammed the door in his face.

Once inside, she pressed her back up against the door and squeezed her eyes shut. The memory of the nightmare in which Wally had joined her flashed before her eyes. More than anything, she wished this was just another nightmare because maybe Wally would come again or at least she'd wake up. But she knew this was real.

Slowly, she reopened her eyes and peered around the dark room, trying to find a light switch. Her hands spread out in both directions, fingers fluttering across the wall in search of something helpful. Finally, one of her finger's caught on a light switch and she flicked it on. The lights flared up, shocking her eyes. The room was simple, a bed, a dresser, and a single lightbulb in the middle of the room. Except for a small mirror hanging by her bed, the walls were bare. A thin white sheet covered the bed but there wasn't even a pillow. On top of the sheet was a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, a jacket and a small note. She strode over, picked it up, and read through it quickly.

Arty,

I'm trying to make this easier for you. Sorry?

Frostbite.

The archer crumpled up the note and threw it across the room. Shrugging off her quiver and setting down her bow, she shoved the clothes off the bed and sat down. A small clink reminded her of the birdarang in her quiver. With quick sudden movements, she snatched it out and held it carefully. The cold metal stung her fingers and caused goosebumps to spread over her arm. She turned it over in her hands, hoping it would give her some clue as to what was going on with her real team. However, nothing was found. With a sigh, she fell backwards and stretched out. A small beep emitted from the metal disc near her ear. She sat up and looked at it in time to see it flashing.

"Boy Wonder-" was all she had time to say.

**I know, I know. Cliff hanger. But I'll try to update sooner, I promise. No more slacking for me. Or is it no more sleeping? Well, while I debate that please tell me what you think. Love it? Hate it? It's ehh? Tell me! I vant to know! Remember, reviews get e-milk to go with their e-cookies. Promise more chapters soon**


	19. Chapter 19

**Holy late chapter update, Batman! It's been forever since I've updated INCYD and honestly, I missed it. This chapter has been sitting half finished for a month and a half or so, maybe longer I don't remember. Sorry guys. Things have been sort of hectic. A quick thanks to everyone who reviewed. The reviews were kind of why I didn't just let the story rust unfinished forever. Anyway, I hope I didn't make too many mistakes. It has been awhile... Enjoy!**

The members of Young Justice had already made it back to Mt. Justice. Any injuries were minor enough to be ignored therefore they all sat in the living room waiting for Batman to come scolded them. All of them, except Robin and M'gann, were focused on the television even though it was off. M'gann was too busy fussing over Superboy's already healing black eye. Robin was watching the clock intently, deep in thought. Everyone was tense.

His footsteps were heard before anyone saw the Batman. Robin and Red Arrow had been around him enough to know just what sort of mood he was in just by his step, and, honestly, they knew they were screwed. The black clad figure appeared in the doorway. "Briefing room. Now," he snapped before turning and leaving. The Boy Wonder cringed. He'd only heard that tone once and never pointed at him. Some of the newer members of the team looked ready to run off crying but they followed anyway.

Robin was reluctant to let the clock out of his sight but when Batman orders you to do something, you do it, even if you were his protégé. Pulling up a small clock on his wrist computer, he followed the others as they filed out of the room. It was vital that he knew the exact time.

The whole team, except for Wally who hadn't been seen since he disappeared, gathered in front of the Dark Knight somberly. He stared them down with a Batglare that seemed worse than another glare they'd received.

"Kaldur'am," he began darkly. "You were given specific directions to keep your team here. You failed to complete those orders and lost control of the team." Robin sighed quietly, knowing that he'd receive the silent treatment from Bruce for at least three weeks and he'd be grounded from patrolling for even more time just for what he was about to say.

"You should be upset with the leader of the team," Robin said, defiantly. "Not Aqualad." Batman focused on his partner. Dick knew that behind the cowl, Bruce had raised an eyebrow in shock. "I took control of the team and ordered them to do this mission. They were following orders. I take full blame."

"No, Robin," Aqualad spoke up. "This is my team. I deserve the blame."

"I told you I'd form my own team and take the blame. Meet my new team." Turning to Batman, he continued. "When, and only when, we stop this new team of villains and capture our former ally we will disband, but until then-"

"Do you think this is a game," the Dark Knight snapped. "We have the biggest security breach in the history of the Justice League and you run off against orders. Artemis knows enough to potently jeopardize the Watchtower. This is bigger than you can imagine." Before he could get out another word, the zeta platform announced the arrival of Kid Flash, surprising everyone. The blur entered the room and stopped in front the youngest member of the team.

"He's gone! He'sgone! Dinahlefthissidetograb acupofcoffeebutwhen shecamebackhewasgone Howonearthdoesaninjuredmanmo vethatfast hetookhiscostumeandeverythin g Wecan'tfindhimanywhere-"

The speed of Wally's voice escalated so far that eve Robin, who was used to his friend's accelerated pace, couldn't understand him. "Wally!" the raven haired boy snapped. "Slower." The ginger gulped up a few breaths before he could even think about speaking again. He forced himself to slow down.

"Oliver's gone. Dinah left for a few minutes and when she came back he was gone. We searched all over Star City. His costume is gone. He went after her." Robin nodded, slowly at first but picking up speed. He sighed heavily.

"Let's get this over with then," he answered, putting a finger to his ear.

~/\~

"Boy Wonder-"

"Artemis?" The archer breathed a sigh of relief. She had actually thought the birdarang was going to explode. She fell back on her bed once more, closing her eyes happily. "Artemis? Please tell me Sorrow didn't get a hold of this."

"I'm here, Robin," she muttered as she brought it closer to her face. "Sorrow has no idea."

There was a pause on the other end before he answered. "Oliver went looking for you. We can't find him."

"He's… fine, for the moment. He's here." Artemis almost thought she heard the young protege swear under his breath. "Sportsmaster went a little overboard on him," she sighed quietly. "If Sorrow sticks to his word, though, Ollie will get some medical care." Looking at her bow sadly, she forced her voice not to show the tears forming in her eyes. "Robin, I didn't betray you guys, I-"

"I know you didn't."

Artemis sighed and pushed herself up using her elbows. She sat on the bed realizing that it was actually comfortable in a way. Stifling a yawn, she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. She hadn't seen a clock since before she left the Cave but, despite the clouds, she knew it was at least midnight, probably later, in Gotham. More than anything she wanted to fall backwards and just sleep away all of her troubles. Maybe she would be able to sleep without any nightmares but she seriously doubted it. Sorrow's loss, he'd never get to sleep with her around.

Shaking the dreary thoughts from her head, she stood up, making her way to the door as she forced herself to focus on Robin's voice. However the boy was silent. She took advantage of this break to quickly open her door and check the hall for any of the Injustice Society.

She quietly closed the door with a click and leaned against it. The silence enveloped her, closing in around her to fit the shape of her body perfectly. She waited patiently for the other vigilante to say something, to pour forth one of his flawless plans that had always managed to save them before. He was the brains of team. She remembered the day the reds had attacked the Cave, leaving just the two of them to save not only their teammates but themselves. He'd thought of the EMP emitter, going through the air ducts, even simply turning on the water in the showers to slow the fire tornado. Things like that, she would have never thought of. Without Robin she would have gotten herself killed ten times over out of stupid mistakes and simple solutions she couldn't think of that quick. But as he had said, he'd been doing that sort of stuff since he was nine.

Artemis's father had technically started her out younger than that but she'd been trained to be a killing machine not some technical genius capable of working with and keeping up the Dark Knight himself. She knew Batman thought of the Boy Wonder as basically his equal. Something no one else in the world might ever achieve.

The thirteen year old had all that under his belt but he still hadn't even mentioned a plan to take down the Injustice Society. He'd been silent while she waited for him to tell her what to do, hoping that he could help her get out of the situation that she was in.

"Robin, please tell me you have a plan," she whispered into the piece of metal in her hand.

"Not quite," he answered finally. "I've been looking into Sorrow, doing some research. From what I've seen of his team, he's the biggest problem we have, seeing as how you're not loyal to him or anything." Artemis flinched at the idea of being loyal to the man who'd killed her mother. "There's so little information on him, though. The Leagues files on him are... well, lacking. I'm hacking the confidential files now. Hopefully, it might give us a lead."

"Um, Robin?" Artemis bit her lip, nervous about her actual question. "Is Wally there? Can I speak to him?" There was heavy sigh on the other end as she waited for a response.

"He's in another room. I don't think it would be best to let you guys talk right now. I'm sorry."

Artemis slumped, her back sliding down the door until she sat on the rough carpet of the floor. "It's alright," she murmured, trying to push back the memory of his reaction to her betrayal. A thousand tiny pins pricked her heart as she thought of how he'd come to see her at Queen Manor after her mother's death. All the things he had done for her, despite their hate for each other in the beginning, and he still believed she would do that to him.

"Got it," Robin chirped suddenly, surprising the archer. "Bats changed the password again," he murmured more to himself. "What's the League hiding from us this time?" In her mind, Artemis could see the younger boy tapping away at his wrist computer, his brain whirling as he processed the information scrolling passed his eyes too fast for anyone else to understand.

"Why would the League be hiding information like this from you. Isn't information over enemies open to all members and their partners?"

There was a pause on the other end before she got a reply. "They're locking me out because I'm not supposed to be working on this. This whole situation could potentially lead to the biggest security breach in Justice League, or Justice Society, history." The blonde archer shook her head. All of this had started with what she had thought to be another Gotham murder, something average, average for Gotham at least. "Ok, I think I actually have an idea. Sorrow was defeated before, it is possible. However, we need to know where Sorrow's headed next. Based on what he stole from Wayne Tech he can't be done with his shopping list."

"Queen Industries," Artemis answered quickly.

"Really? That makes things easier. But we're still going to need your help."

Fifteen minutes later, Artemis rejoined the Injustice Society as they prepared for their next mission. She wore her obnoxious orange costume and quiver and carried her bow loosely in one hand. As she entered the room and scanned the faces of the assembled villains she smiled at her father who smirked back. He probably thought she was finally excepting the whole family business but really, she was silently thanking him for teaching her how to be such a great lair.

**So, yeah not much happened this chapter but I promise next chapter will be full of all sorts of actiony fun. I'll try to get that to you as soon as possible, but I can't make any promise. I will be trying to get a regular updating schedule, hopefully, and maybe I can get the next chapter up before finals week, fingers crossed. Hopefully a certain bunny will keep her promise about that Batman/Deadpool thing *cough, cough* Phoenix *cough*. I want to stop and thank the reviewers once more because they are honestly SO amazing. I love reading what you guys think, it makes my day! So please review and have a wonderful december. Lemon out!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays!**

**I tried to get this chapter up before finals, but alas! No fear though, it's up now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited. You guys legitimately make this story possible. Without you support, this story wouldn't have made it past chapter 3. So, thank you so much. Anyways, this chapter has way more action than the last one, but that's all I'm going to say! You'll have to read for yourself! Enjoy!**

Though nowhere near the size of Wayne Tower in Gotham, the tall metal and glass build that was Queen Tower rose over the rest of the city, the large luminescent sign hung over the bay like a lighthouse, directing ships to the booming industries of Star City. Artemis had been in the building many times since she went to stay with Oliver, several times with Dinah, once with Roy, and many more times on her own. She remembered the view from Ollie's office. Through the large floor to ceiling, she had soaked in the beauty of the bay and observed the city below, plotting out patrol routes.

Tonight, she was studying the large windows of Ollie's office from the outside on the street. She sat in the passenger's seat of one of the three jeeps headed towards the building. To her surprise, this mission wasn't a stealth.

"Set off all the alarms you want," Sorrow had told them back at the base.

On the ride to the city she had gotten Cameron to explain, "This is our last scavenger mission, Arty. We grab the parts we need and head back to prepare. In a few days we'll be living like kings!" Cam had refused to tell her what the final mission specifically was.

The jeep pulled to a stop, smooth yet quick. The occupants filed out as two other cars pull up next to them. Artemis shifted from foot to foot, hearing the birdarang knock against the metal tips of her arrows. Sportsmaster shot her a glare underneath his mask causing her to stand still. They headed through the double glass doors. The two security men at the front desk had noticed the group and sprung into action. Jade pulled out her poisoned daggers and headed towards the men. Artemis acted quicker, remembering the guards from her visits.

She had often stopped to talk with them while waiting for Oliver to finish his numerous late meetings. The older one was planning to retire at the end of the year and he enjoyed telling the blonde about his grandchildren and showing her copious amounts of photos. The younger one, who was working through college, had once told her of his new wife and the child they were expecting in a few months.

Before Jade could reach the men, Artemis had shot a net arrow at them, trapping them and pinning them to the wall behind them. She received many odd looks from the villains, ranging from surprise to anger and distaste. When nobody moved, she shook her head and strode to the elevator. "Let's just get this over with," she snapped. Artemis reached for the door to the stairwell only to find the whole building was in lock-down mode. All doors were locked and the elevator wouldn't work. Basically, they were stuck on the first floor until the police arrived.

"Allow me," a voice whispered in her ear as Gentleman Ghost slipped passed her. The archer shivered, she still hated that stupid ghost. The phantom disappeared through the doors of the elevator.

While they waited for the spectre to return, Artemis tried to focus her attention on anything other than the two still conscious guards. The others seemed to have forgotten about the men. The older one worked up the courage to finally speak to the villains. "Arrow will catch you," he called. Sportsmaster uttered a short laugh.

"I seriously doubt that," the blonde man replied as the doors to the elevator slid open revealing Gentleman Ghost standing inside. He beckoned for them to step inside. The team filed in, everyone throwing a glance at Solomon Grundy, who just turned and stood in front of the front doors like a large gargoyle protecting the building. The doors closed behind them, locking all of them in a small confined area. Artemis tried to wiggle to the front as secretly as possible but her father saw her. "Zealous?"

"I just want to get this over with," she muttered, waiting for the doors to open. Finally, the elevator stopped at the level he had said it would. Before the door's could slide open more than a few inches, a small round object the size of a golf ball rolled into the small space. It came to a sudden stop when it hit Jade's foot. All occupants, save Artemis, stared down at the ball until it erupted into a cloud of gas. By then, the doors were wide open, allowing the archer to jump out and avoid the choking fog. Behind her, she could hear the coughs and protests of the Injustice Society members. When she looked up, she a sight that filled her up with hope and dread at the same time. Her stomach tightened as her mind tried to think of all the worst possible scenarios. A glance over her shoulder showed her, the villains were already stumbling out of the fog. A vent in the elevator magically sucked up the gas, manipulated by Wizard's sorcery. Even so, they were to slow to react.

A blur of red and yellow circled Killer Wasp, slowing only to deliver a momentum filled punch which threw the villain back against the wall and knocking him unconscious. Cheshire was quick enough to knock away the arrow headed towards her with a flick of her wrist but she wasn't able to fully block the hand-to-hand attack that quickly followed. Wizard conjured a shot put out of thin air and dropped it into Sportsmaster's hand. The blonde took aim and threw it at the one of the attackers but the weighted ball stopped midair, turning back and hitting the magician in the head as the martian appeared. Sportsmaster had glanced back to see his comrade fall and when he turned back he was hit by the charging Kryptonian, forcing him turn his attention to fighting.

A frigid hand grabbed Artemis' arm and pulled her forward. "We've got to get the objective," Cam called back to her as she dragged her passed the fight. No one seemed to notice their absence. The pair raced down the hall until Icicle Jr. pulled her to the side and into a room, slowing them down. The room was dark but Cam knew what he was looking for. He rushed over to a metal table and grabbed two silver cylinders. When he returned to her side, he shoved the cylinders into her arms and pushed back out the door.

They burst into the hall, almost running into Sportsmaster. "Most of the brats are taken care of," the older man informed them causing the archer's stomach to tighten with dread. "But the elevator isn't an option anymore. We have to get to the roof the hard way." Artemis nodded and turned in search of the stairwell. "Head to the end of the hall. I keep the hero-wannabes back."

Artemis and Cam ran down the corridor together and burst through the door leading to the stairs. Without missing a beat, they flew up the stairs as fast as their legs could take them. Three levels passed by before they were joined by another person on the stair case. Artemis peered over the side of the railing and watched as the blur from before sped up the stairs. Wally. Right behind her, Icicle Jr. was encouraging her to keep moving. She had just placed her foot on the next step up when Kid Flash flew past her and stopped several flights up, staring down at them. "I'll take these," he teased as the blonde realized the cylinders were gone. Wally held them up, letting the other two see.

"Then, I'll take them back," Artemis replied. She yanked out an arrow and let it loose, sending it straight for the speedster. Beneath his tinted goggles, Wally's green eyes flew open wide as the arrow head exploded in a fury of sticking foam. The green foam trapped KF's legs and most of his torso. Taking the steps two at a time, Artemis closed the distance between them and grabbed the metal cylinders. "Thanks for holding onto these for me, Baywatch," she murmured, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He wrinkled his nose and turned his face away. She turned away from the redhead and bounded up the steps.

No one else disturbed them as they approached the roof. Artemis reached the door leading outside first, with Cam on her heels. Stepping out into the night air, she glanced around. A cool breeze running off the bay raised goosebumps on her bare skin. The buzz of an incoming helicopter cut through the nosies of the traffic below. The black chopper landed on the roof, allowing Artemis to see Sorrow waiting inside. Her eyes caught on a dark mass on the floor of the helicopter but she ignored it as Johnny Sorrow stepped up to her and grabbed the cylinders out of her hands. "Very good, Tigress," he purred, inspecting the objects as if searching for damage. "I'm glad to see you're beginning to except you role in this. It's too bad it so late in the game. I almost have no need for you anymore."

Before Sorrow could even finish the last word, the door to the stairwell flew open as Wally joined them, pieces of the green foam still clinging to the red and yellow of his uniform. The speedster advanced towards them, ready to attack. He hit Icicle and Tigress knocking them backwards. Artemis fell to the ground as Cam and Kid Flash kept going, the two boys already throwing punches. Sorrow gave out a sound of astonishment as he was jumped on from behind. The archer looked up and saw Robin sitting on the villains shoulders. Johnny Sorrow stumbled forward heading towards the brick wall of a small maintenance shed. Based on the smirk on the young hero's face, this was exactly what he wanted.

Artemis couldn't help but smile as the memory of Rob explaining the intricate plan to her surfaced in her mind. Once the wall was close enough, the boy wonder reached down and plucked the scarlet mask from the criminal's face with a yell, the signal for them not to look. Artemis shielded her eyes, unsure of what would happen and what she would need to see his face for it to kill her.

Within moments it was over. Robin gave a low whistle, signaling that they could look again, that the mask had been put back on again. The blonde opened her gray eyes in time to see Kid Flash deliver the final blow to Cameron's jaw, sending him backwards. Icicle Jr. hit the roof top with a thud, instantly falling into unconsciousness. Sorrow shook off Robin, throwing the boy into the wall unexpectedly. "Rob," Wally exclaimed, running over to aid his friend. Artemis pushed herself into a standing position, heading over to the three of them.

"So?" the red-clad villain hissed darkly. "You want to see my face, do you? You should have just asked." Sorrow grabbed the edge of his mask, staring down at the two heroes in front of him.

"No!" Artemis sprinted at the villain, barreling into him and knocking him away from her ex-teammates. They both fell to the ground in a jumble pile. Sorrow's mask skittered across the roof and away from Artemis's grasp. Squeezing her eyes shut, she reached out blindly, her hand desperately searching for it. She could hear Wally calling out her name but all that matter to her at the moment was getting the mask back onto the villains face. Her shaking fingers brushed across the smooth cold metal of the mask a moment before something grabbed it out from beneath her touch and she was yanked to her feet from behind.

"You can open you eyes now, little archer," Sorrow's voice whispered in her ear. A surprisingly strong arm caught her neck, holding her in a choke hold. "I put my mask back on." Cautiously, the blonde opened one eye, then the other, and looked around. Robin and Kid Flash stood frozen a few steps away, their faces covered in horror and shock. She felt cold metal of a knife against the skin of her neck, right above the arm holding her in place. "I told you I would not except mutiny on this team. It's a shame, you were so close to earning the freedom of your mentor and yourself." Sorrow paused dragging her back a few steps towards the chopper. "Oh, well. I still have one last use for you and fortunately, you don't need to agree to it." They had reached the helicopter. The leader pulled her up onto the platform. Wally and Rob had followed them closer to the aircraft, careful not to get too close.

Sorrow's foot reached out and pushed the dark mass out of the helicopter. It hit the roof top with a thud, lights from the city catching on what looked like blonde hair. The villain reached down and grabbed a small box underneath one of the seats and threw it out after the mass. "You're choice, heroes." The box came to life with a flash of a countdown timer. "Save your old teammate-" her gestured to Artemis with the knife - "or save the Leaguer?" The mass groaned and rolled over as if on cue, revealing Ollie's bruised and bloodied face. The helicopter lifted into the sky, dropping Artemis's heart into her stomach.

As she flew away from the building, the blonde archer watched as Wally and Robin rushed over to the fallen hero. Wally set to work on the bonds that held his arms and legs while Robin dove straight at the bomb, working to disarm it. Artemis tried to blink away tears. At least now, Oliver was safe.

Behind her, Sorrow's voice rang out again. "Sportsmaster, gather the team and get out of there. We have what we need." Anger rose through the archer's body, clouding her judgement. The villain had just given up his one hold on her loyalty. From here, he could do nothing to harm her friends or Ollie. Her hands reached up and grabbed the arm around her neck, pulling it off and using it to drag the rest of the villains body over he head. Sorrow hit the floor of the chopper full force, shaking the helicopter. "You little brat," he hissed. She grabbed the front of his suit and hauled him to the still open door, looking down at the busy streets below.

"I wonder if you can survive a fall like this," she snapped. "I doubt that mask will do anything to stop the fall."

"Then what will you do? Once you kill me?" The was a sharpness in his voice, like he was asking a question with an easy answer, a question she should have thought of before attacking. "The League won't let you back in. I'm your only choice in life, unless you want to spend your days in Belle-Reve."

"I don't care what happens to me. You killed my mother, at least you'll be dead."

A force filled kick connected with her stomach, pushing her back and allowing Sorrow to escape her grasp. He stumbled up, threw his leg out and tripped her. Artemis fell flat on her back, the cold metal freezing her skin. Slowly, Sorrow strode up next to her before placing his foot heavily down on her chest, pinning her to the floor. "You know Artemis, I was just beginning to like you. But, no matter, I still have a use for a mutinous archer."

**So what do you think? I'm a little undecided but, I always enjoy reading what you think, praise or criticism. I always seem to giggle with joy when I see a new comment to read or a a new follower. So, I hope you guys liked it. Tell me what you think!**

**OK! See you next chapter. Have a merry Christmas and a Happy holidays, and just in general a joyful December!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Holy 21 chapters, Batman! I never thought I'd make it this far. When this all started I expected 11 chapters tops but the story actually developed and people actually like it. I'm so happy right now!  
>A huge thanks to all who reviewed, all those who have stuck with me from the start, and all those who favorited andor followed. **

"Artemis? Artemis?" She groaned. Her head throbbed and her shoulders ached. Vaguely, she was aware of the soft, almost familiar, voice still calling her name. "Wake up, beautiful?"

Artemis' gray eyes flew open at the recognition of the voice. Her vision blurred, creating a blend of orange, green and a pale skin tone. She tried to reply but her words stuck in her throat. Slowly, almost too slowly, her vision corrected itself, allowing her to see clearly. A white smile spilt the pale face, separating the freckles like a crescent moon sitting in between the stars. "Wally?"

"Thank God, you're alright." The speedsters face was close to hers as he bent over her. She glanced around, finding herself on one of the beds in the med-bay of the cave. Without thinking, she pushed herself up using her elbows, knocking her forehead against his in the process. "Sorry," he laughed as he pulled back and rubbed his head where they'd hit. Artemis flashed an apologetic smile in response but her eyes were scanning the room. Except for the two of them, the whole bay was empty.

"Wally, what happened? How did I get here?" She swung her legs around and determinedly tried to stand. She was hit with a wave of dizziness as the room started to spin. Up was down and she couldn't keep her balance. Beneath her feet, the earth pitched and rolled, slipping out from beneath her. Suddenly the floor rushed towards her as she fell. The fall stopped as suddenly and quickly as it had begun as Wally caught her before she could hit the ground and helped her stand up. Artemis waited until the room stopped spinning before whispering a quick 'thanks' and a 'I'm fine now'. He nodded but one of his hand lingered on her hips while the other enclosed her wrist. "What happened?" she repeated.

His reply was cut off by the sound of someone entering the room. As soon as her eyes connected with the newcomer's she felt that something was wrong. Even so, she smiled and blinked back tears of happiness and relief. "Artemis," he whispered with a small smile. Oliver stood in the doorway, still dressed in his tattered uniform. The blood from before was still on the fabric but he didn't seem to have any injuries. He wasn't wearing his domino mask and his hood was pulled back, allowing the light from the florescent lights overhead to hit his face and causing his face to look bloodless.

The older archer went rigid as Wally's hand dropped from her waist. "Ollie?" Artemis asked quietly, the first signs of her worry entering her voice. Her mentor put a hand over his chest. When he removed it and turned it palm up, she could see a flash of crimson covering his skin. The blood seeped through the fabric of his uniform, staining the emerald fibers red in a rapidly expanding circle. "Ollie!" This time she screamed his name as he fell to his knees, revealing Lawrence Crock smiling and still holding the blood soaked knife that had wounded the hero.

Wally's grip on her wrist tightened, keeping her from running to her mentor. "Wally, let go." She pried at his hand but he wouldn't let her go. Oliver fell forward, his blood still flowing from his chest. "Wally," she cried, her voice becoming desperate while she tugged at her arm. Tears flooded her eyes. "Let go. I have to help him. Wally. I have to help him." The corners of her vision went black and her attempts at getting away from the speedster began to grow weaker with every pull. "I can help him, Wally. Let me go. I have to help him. He's dying." She fell back into Wally's chest, no longer trying pull her wrist from his grasp. "Ollie. He's dying." She could feel the wet tear tracks against her burning skin. Her eyes slid close, blocking the image of the now dead man.

~/\~

Artemis' eyes flew open with a yelp. Her hand flew up to her lips when she realized which word had escaped them. _"I'm not calling you dad."_ That's what she had told him. Simply because she didn't want to have a father. Not when the first one had turned out so horribly. Once bitten, twice shy. She didn't want any emotional attachments.

She shook her head, trying to shake off the fuzziness of unconsciousness or perhaps trying to shake off what she had just witnessed. When she tried to move her left hand she found it was stuck. A quick glance at it proved she was handcuffed to black pole sticking out of the ground and connecting to a piece of wood. A bench. The bench in the greenhouse. She feverishly looked around, finding the familiar plants in the green tinted sunlight.

Her head cleared and gave her back her memories of the mission back at Queen Tower. Which meant Ollie was still alive. A smile slipped onto her lips for a half second before reality set in. She was still under Sorrow's control, not like before but still trapped.

With a groan, she let her head fall to the ground, pressing her cheek to the cold cement of the floor. From that position, she could see her bow and quiver. Both were just out of reach. Despite the fog still clouding her brain, she tried to pull some of Sportsmaster's training. There must have been a situation like this. Handcuffed, lock picking equipment out of reach (she had a kit in her quiver), no weapons. Sharply, she remembered the only simulation like this one. She had been eight years old at the time, one of her first training sessions. After two and a half days of desperately trying to escape Lawrence finally came to release. Dehydration and some minor malnutrition landed her in the hospital as her father gave some bull about her getting lost in the alley ways of Gotham and losing consciousness.

The door to the greenhouse squeaked, alerting Artemis to someone's arrival. She carefully sat up and tried to see who else was now in the room but an ample display of large-leafed plants sat behind the bench and blocked her view of the door. Listening intently, she heard footsteps approach her. She realized, with a frown, she didn't really need to see the person to know who it was. There was only one logical choice. Sorrow. He was probably coming to gloat.

To her surprise, it wasn't Sorrow who rounded the display, it was Cameron. He tossed a bottle of water and a slice of bread at her feet. "I thought you might want these. You've been in here for over thirty hours. Sorrow used a heavy sedative." Artemis eyed the provisions suspiciously. Cam sighed. "Look, the seal on the bottle hasn't been broken, so I couldn't have broken it. And the bread-" he picked it up and bit into the side if it. "-is fine," he continued with his mouth full.

"This doesn't make us friends, Frostbite," she muttered stubbornly as she picked up the bottle and worked on getting it open despite the handcuffs. "Those days are over." She downed half the bottle, realizing just how dehydrated she had become. Cam sat down next to her and handed her the food. The archer took a small bite but her stomach was still queasy from unconsciousness. "Why are you doing this, Cam?"

"For the old days, I guess," he murmured with a shrug. "Plus, you're looking pretty _nice _now." She elbowed him in the ribs at the flash of his normal personality. "We were supposed to come in here. Sorrow forbade anyone to see you, but since that bastard left us in Queen Tower I thought I do a little rebelling." He sighed. "Killer Wasp, Blackbrier Thorn, and Wizard have all been taken into custody, probably all in Belle-Reve by now. Not that those three were worth anything anyway." He chuckled and Artemis found herself joining him. A silence slipped between them. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if your mother hadn't come home, if things had stayed the way they were. I probably would've gotten the girl by now." Again, she elbowed him in the side. His voice had quickly changed from nostalgic to teasing and by now he was his normal goofy self. "But, I mean, you have that speedster. How can I compete with him? He's like a huma-"

"We're not dating," she snapped, her face growing red.

"You two looked pretty close back at the tower," he mumbled. She raised her free fist causing him to throw up is hands in defense. "Just kidding, Arty."

"Icicle Jr," Johnny Sorrow's voice called from behind the display, making both of them jump. "No access to this room was permitted." The red-clad villain appeared around the corner. "You are to be preparing for the next mission."

"Fine, fine. See ya later, Arty." He stood up, gazing at her for an extra moment before turning away.

"Yeah. Bye, Frostbite."

Once Cam was gone, Sorrow reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out the birdarang that had been in her quiver. He dropped it into her lap with an air of distaste. "So, this is how you contacted your old team," he murmured. "I've got to hand it to you, I didn't even see it coming. I thought for sure, if I had Green Arrow I had your loyalty. But, you still acted against me. Which proves your father wrong. I should have just killed them when I had the chance." He paced angrily before composing himself. "No matter, we still got what we needed and everything is going according to plan." Sorrow snapped his fingers and Sportsmaster appeared around the corner of the display. "We must get going. There's a grand performance in need of action and you, my dear, are the leading lady."

Lawrence pulled out a key and unlocked the cuff around the pole, keeping a close eye on his daughter. He roughly grabbed her free arm and secured it and her other one behind her back. She was yanked to her feet, causing the metal disc to fall to the ground with a clatter. Pushing her forward, Sportsmaster lead her out of the room pausing only to retrieve her bow and quiver. When Artemis sent a questioning look towards Sorrow, he simply replied, "Once this is all over, you will have your freedom."

The three of them wandered through the empty halls of the base, eventually making it to the open-roofed hanger. A helicopter was already loaded and waited for them to leave. Lawrence shoved her inside as Sorrow climbed into the pilot's seat. The archer and her father found a seat among the villains. Artemis found herself shoved between Solomon Grundy and Sportsmaster.

Sorrow didn't waste any time getting the chopper into the air. Artemis couldn't see out the window, squashing her hopes of catching a glimpse of the outside of the base. She had wanted to get the exact location in case Robin's plan didn't work and she'd have to get revenge by herself. No dice.

For twenty minutes she stared at the floor in a purposeful attempt to avoid eye contact with the other occupants. She was actually relieved when the helicopter landed and they were all being forced out even though it meant they were closer to the final mission. Now that she had time to think, she didn't believe Robin's plan was going to work. She never had a chance to tell him where Sorrow was headed next. She didn't even know. Sure, he'd hear about it, maybe the team would even respond to the attack but they wouldn't be prepared. The whole plan was based on Robin's assumption that he could be prepared.

The bright sun from over head and the shine reflecting off the water shocked her out of her thoughts and made her focus on her surroundings. All may seem lost but she was trained to handle impossible situations. It didn't take her long to recognize their location. The water was a hint, the warehouses were definitely familiar, but most of all, Queen Tower was a dead give away. They had landed among some abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of Star City.

Sorrow stood in front of them, casting a glance over all of them before speaking. "After today, we'll live like kings!"

**I'm giggling uncontrollably right now because of what Cam was gonna say. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.  
>Well, about the next update, I'll try to get it to you soon but I think I need to spend a little time on my other two YJ stories. I'm kinda falling behind on both and I don't want the stories to feel unloved (even if they kinda are)! So, I'll work on INCYD whenever I'm not working on anything else. I Promise. (My rant is over)<br>Tell me what you think and have a Happy New Year!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Holy poor excuses for not updating, Batman! So very sorry for the lack of updates. My day consist of sleep, school, swim, repeat and I haven't had much time to write but here it is. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited/followed.**

There was an old shed behind a certain warehouse that used to be used for the storage of tools until the warehouse was abandoned. It remained unused until the Justice League converted it into a hidden Zeta portal in Star City. Artemis had used this Zeta tube several times during her time as a hero and recognized it immediately when Sportsmaster pushed her around the corner of the building.

Johnny Sorrow threw open the flimsy wooden door and looked inside. He grabbed Artemis' face and studied it for a moment. "Our ticket to anywhere in the world." She was shoved inside, awaking the computer system.

"You want to use the Zeta tubes?" she asked with a rancor filled laugh. "The League should have already shut me out of the system. It won't work unless you're a Leaguer." Despite all of her scoffing, Artemis was shocked into high alert. She knew well Sorrow's criminal personality too well to assume that he just wanted to use the Zeta tubes. He had a helicopter, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had many other toys at his fingertips. No, transportation couldn't be what he was after. With Sorrow, all the world was a stage and he was about to put on the biggest performance of his life.

"Yes, however, I had a very helpful Leaguer who told me his access code. All to keep his little archer safe. You see, Sportsmaster, that is how a father is supposed to treat his daughter's life." The blonde man tensed. Sorrow paused, as if mulling over his thoughts. When he continued, a smile had crept into his voice. "It's sickening and I'm glad you don't act like that." He laughed and moved on but Lawrence was still burned and agitated at the hint of Green Arrow being a better father than himself. The team leader didn't seem to notice, instead he turned his attention towards the Zeta portal Artemis was still standing in. "Access code: G2310E196R23202. Allow access for B-0-7."

The computer whirled as it scanned the archer's face. Internally, Artemis was kicking herself for not knowing any override codes. She'd heard Robin, Batman, or Green Arrow mutter them and manipulate the system's recognition program.

**Recognized. Artemis B-0-7.**

Artemis was yanked backwards and out of the shed before she or anyone else could name a location and let the Zeta beams transport her there. "Grundy, you're up," Sorrow commanded, drawing her attention to the giant. He lumber passed them carrying a large device. The door to the shed wasn't made to let in so much mass, provoking Solomon Grundy to slam agains the doorframe and make it bigger. The blue scanner slid up the villains, receiving an unhappy grunt from him.

**Recognized. Solomon Grundy. Access denied.**

"Priority access code: 152724T14C10. Allow access to Watchtower," Sorrow replied smugly. Artemis froze as the plan finally came out. Control the Watchtower, control the League, and therefore, everyone they protected. By the looks on a few of the Injustice Society member's faces, this was their first time hearing the whole plan, too.

**Access Granted.**

In a flash of light, Grundy and the device he held were gone. He was soon followed by the rest of the team. One by one the villains filed into the shed only to be whisked away by the beams, heading straight for the satellite HQ of the Justice League. Once Sportsmaster disappeared, leaving only Artemis and Sorrow still in Star City, she was once more shoved into the shed before being swallowed by the light. Seconds later, she stumbled out of one of the Watchtower's Zeta platforms.

Her father grabbed her arms and kept her by the portal until Sorrow appeared behind them. With nothing but a nod from the leader, the blonde villain handed her off to Sorrow and followed Count Vertigo. Nearby, Solomon Grundy had deposited the device he held and Gentleman Ghost inspected it carefully. "The Zeta-shield is ready for activation," he said as the masked villain approached.

"Then put it up," Sorrow snapped grabbing Artemis' elbow and guiding her forward into the halls of the HQ, eventually going up a floor in an elevator. Artemis was surprised at the emptiness of the Watchtower but since the raid was taking place during the day, when most of the superheroes were gone to run their private lives, she understood. As they stepped into an open room that looked down on the Zeta platforms, she notice the villains fighting a small group heroes by the portals, the numbers were even but a combination of surprise and Solomon Grundy gave the Injustice Society the upper hand.

They weren't the only occupants of the room, a control room by the looks of the monitors. Staring down at the attack was Martian Manhunter, who turned when he heard them enter. "This is your grand plan, Johnny Sorrow."

"I always enjoyed the most elaborate productions," Sorrow murmured in reply. The Martian's eyes glowed green as he levitated and prepared to attack. Before he could move, a cry from Hawkwoman as she was batted aside by Solomon Grundy froze him. There was a moment of hesitation and Artemis could see the conflict in his eyes, help his teammate or stop the man behind the whole attack.

He didn't have a chance to make a decision. Gentlemen Ghost floated up behind him, through the monitors, and dragged the Martian back towards the fight, clearing the way for Sorrow. The villain strode towards the computers, tossing Artemis aside as he went. She stumbled away and lost her balance. Her knees met the cold metal floor with a jarring shock, drawing a gasp of pain. She rocked back in an attempt to balance her forward fall, knowing if she continued forward she'd have nothing to cushion the impact. Her body shook with with the effort. The lack of nourishment was beginning to catch up with her and though she'd slept for so long, it had been so uncomfortable and fitful. Even with her years of training, her body was beginning to break under the pressure.

Despite her efforts, the generated gravity won the battle and the metal floor rushed up to meet her. Her face slammed into the cold ground. On impact, her cheek went numb but she could still feel the pain that shot through her forehead. The sharp smell of the floor cleaner burned her nose even as she wobbled up into a kneeling position. Faintly, she could taste the acute tang of blood.

"Now what?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Sorrow replied absentmindedly as he fiddled around with the largest computer.

Artemis rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen them and alleviate the pain. "You captured the Watchtower. Congratulations. Now what? The league will get it back and you will be put in jail." Sorrow prepared to shoot a snide remark back at her about his perfect plan but she continued. "Even if they don't get the Watchtower back, what will you do? They'll move to a new base. All in all, you did nothing. The world will forget who you are, if they ever find out about all this." She smirked, knowing she was getting to him. "The Watchtower is just a place for the Justice League to meet, nothing else. All intel will be wiped off the computers by Batman before you can think to access them. You'll have gained nothing."

By this time, Sorrow's full attention was on her. He'd left the computer behind and slowly approached her, waiting for her to finish before making his move. "Is that what you think? That this is just a hunk of junk floating in the sky? No, I don't want information either. I want a weapon. A weapon the League created without telling anyone. Their own little failsafe to keep them in charge. This simple HQ can blast a hole in the Earth the size of the moon and I've gotten a hold of it. The whole world will fall to its knees."

"What are you talking about?" Artemis was taken aback. She'd meant to unbalance Sorrow with her words but now she was the one caught off guard. Sorrow knew something she didn't and she hadn't accounted for that.

"Of course you weren't technically in the League so you wouldn't know. The Watchtower is the home of something called the Binary Fusion generator. It's got all the punch of a nuclear weapon with the ease of a laser and it should fix Earths little hero infestation. Of course once fired, it needs time to recharge so, to stop any heroes from trying to get in here while we wait I've had the Zeta portals blocked. Nobody gets in unless I want them to." He grabbed a fist full of her hair and made her look at the Earth, seen just outside the large window. "Tell me archer, which city should we use as an example? You're hometown, Gotham, or the city you so honorably try to protect, Star City?"

Before she could answer, one of the monitors blazed red. Sorrow's grip released as he when to check the message that popped up on the screen. With a shaking hand, he turned on the intercom and barked, "Who opened the landing doors? Get down there and find out."

When he turned back to the archer, she was smiling. "Is your perfect plan beginning to fail?" she sneered.

"You wish, little girl." There was a stretch of silence as the villain poured over the computers, hunting for something specific. The minutes seemed like hours as she waited with no updates. Finally, Sorrow uttered a triumphant yell and began typing rapidly on the keyboard. He paused before slamming his finger down on a single button. In silence he stepped back and stared at the large screen on the wall. They both waited in confused silence. At last the screen lit up and the air was pierced by a loud, familiar yell.

Robin's signal.

**I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's getting kind of sad to write because the story's almost over. I only have a few more chapters before I wrap this up. I'm Not Calling You Dad is the first fic I've actually followed up (not including the two oneshots) and finished, so I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited/followed and stuck with me all this time. This story has evolved more than a Pokemon (they evolve right?) but you guys were patient and stayed with me the whole way. So thank you so much!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Holy I'm going to cry, Batman! I actually have no words. So, I'm just gonna thank everyone and shut up so you guys can read. Enjoy! (Oh, and read the A/N at the bottom to see how you can help save YJ)**

Artemis reacted instantaneously, her eyes snapping shut before her brain had completely registered what she had heard. There was a panicked yelp from somewhere in the room. Perhaps, Robin's plan was actually going to work. After all, by now he must have heard about the siege on the Watchtower. He must have hacked the screen. How else would she have heard his signal?

As she waited for something to happen, she desperately hoped the screen was playing the recorded image of Sorrow's face. _"Here's how it'll work," Robin had told her through the birdarang. "You said he was headed to Queen tower next, correct? The team will be ready for them, we need to make sure no villain but Sorrow is on the roof. I'll be there waiting for him. I can hack one of the security cameras and record an image of Sorrow's face without the mask. Based on JLA records, it should paralyze him long enough for you to attack him. It worked before."_ At the time, he seemed so sure of himself and she'd believed him but now that the most crucial part of plan was unfolding, she realized how many ways it could fail.

Finally the low whistle signaling for her to look rang through the room. Her eyes flashed open, searching for Sorrow. He was standing in the middle of the room frozen in the process of backing away from the screen, his arms searched out in front of him.

Wasting no time, she struggled to her feet, preparing to attack. More than anything, she wished she could have shot him with her bow but her bound hands and feet would have to do. She could almost see several arrows ripping into him, payback for everything he had done to her, to Ollie, to her mother. No, she could actually see several arrows hitting him in the back, a real one and three concussive tips. The red suited villain collapsed to the floor but she wasn't focused on him. Her gaze fell on the doorway where Green Arrow stood. His bow was still raised and aimed but his arm shook with exhaustion.

"Stay away from my daughter, you sick bastard," he muttered, dropping his bow to his side and advancing on the villain. Artemis had never seen him this angry and it almost scared her. Ollie crouched near Sorrow, searching for something and came up with a key. Slowly, he approached her, his mask of fury replaced with concern. "Artemis, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she replied as he unlocked the handcuffs and released her arms. "How did you get here? The Zeta beams are blocked."

"Caught a ride on Miss Martian's bioship." Oliver left her for a moment to place the handcuffs on Sorrow. He grabbed hold of the villains shirt and threw him so he was propped up against the wall.

"So, the rest of the team's here?" He nodded, standing awkwardly in front of her for a moment before trapping her in a rib-crushing hug. For a moment, Artemis just stood there, completely unsure of what to do. So suddenly she'd been yanked out of a hopeless situation and into a new reality where she was no longer under Sorrow's control. Slowly, she returned the hug, glad to be back with heroes instead of villains.

When they broke apart, Ollie set to work reading his bow and preparing to leave. "I believe they still need a little help with Grundy and some of the others. Are you up for a little hero-ing?" As much as her body wanted to give up and rest, she wasn't going to miss a fight, especially with the possibility of running into Sportsmaster. "I picked something up when I ran into Sportsmaster earlier." Ollie reached back and pulled an orange folded up bow and a quiver off of his back.

Artemis smiled at the sight of her bow. As she'd stated many times before, being without it mad her feel naked, and defiantly not in a fun way. Within seconds she had it in hand, ready to use.

They left Sorrow behind and headed out the way Artemis and Sorrow had originally come. Before the hero and his protege could make it too far they ran into a familiar face and, for the first time in her life, Artemis was glad to see her biological father. He blocked their path with a javelin ready to be thrown. His mask covered his face but the archers could see a bit of purple skin forming around his eye. "Green Arrow," he muttered, paying little attention to his daughter. "No hero punk is going to take my job as a father." He threw the javelin at them, taking out a shot put as he did.

The two heroes jumped aside to avoid it. Artemis rolled to a stop, landing on one knee, and had an arrow nocked and fired within seconds. The concussive arrow hit Sportsmaster in the jaw and caused his mask to fly off. While he was disoriented, she rushed forward preparing to attack. He saw her coming and struck out first, making her throw up her defenses. Before he could attack a second time she dropped to the floor, sticking her leg out to trip him. Once he was on the ground, she planted her foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up. She leaned down so only he could hear what she had to stay. "The next time you attack my father again, I will end you," she whispered, finishing it off with a kick to his head to knock him out.

She looked back to see Green Arrow watching her. He looked ready to say something but stayed quiet anyway. "Let's go," she muttered, continuing forward. A moment later she heard his footsteps behind her as they finally approached the open area in front of the Zeta platforms. The Justice League had arrived and were finishing off the last of the Injustice Society. The Young Justice team members were fighting along side their mentors, except Superboy whose relationship with Superman was still strained. Several key Leaguers were gathered in the center having a rather intense conversation.

"I'm going to go talk to them," Ollie explained, putting a hand on her head. He left her standing in the entryway, unsure of whether to go and join them or if she was allowed to do that anymore. After all, she had betrayed the League.

Before she could come to a decision, she was hit by a blur of red and yellow that was Wally. The force of his attack-hug sent them both backwards into the hallway and out of sight of the others. "Ithoughtyouhadswitched sidesandI hatedyouforitbutRobsaid youwerestillhelpingusand Ihaddoubtsbutthenyousavedus ontherooftopandI'msoglad Idon'thavetohateyou."

"Wally, Wally," Artemis cried. "Calm down. I can't understand you." Wally let her out of the hug but kept his hands on her shoulders. There was a brief pause where they just stared at each other. And then, he kissed her. It was quick, barely lasting more than a few moments. He'd pulled her closer but the kiss was over faster than it began.

"If anyone asks, I didn't just do that. Ok, beautiful?" Artemis was too stunned to speak so she just nodded, trying to keep from putting her fingers to her lips. Wally smiled and until now, she hadn't realized how much she loved that smile. "Let's go join the others. There's a spot on the team just waiting for you to come back to it." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. "Nice outfit, by the way." Artemis looked down to see that she was still wearing her Tigris uniform. She bit her lip and blushed sightly. Wally's hand found hers, their fingers lacing together as they headed back to the main room much like they had when their memories were gone in Bialya.

The two of them met the rest of the team who were holding a conversation of their own away from the League. As they approached, M'gann noticed them first but the whole team's attention was soon focused on her. For a moment, no one said anything or moved, most were ambivalent about how to greet her. Finally, Robin smiled and held out his hand to shake hers. Even though he was Batman's partner and under any other circumstance she would have never done this, she pulled him in to a tight hug. It was his genius plan that had saved her butt, after all. "Nice to see you too, Artemis," he mumbled as she released him.

The others followed the Boy Wonder's example and welcomed her back, some more warmly than others. M'gann tried to greet her calmly in a withdrawn sort of manner but in the end gave up and, squealing, attacked Artemis with hugs. Even Red Arrow threw his arm around her shoulders and gave her a sort of half hug.

After a while, Green Arrow broke away from the other League members. His face was shadowed by his hood but Artemis could read his emotions on his body language alone. Arms crossed and stomping away from the others, he was less than pleased and that didn't bode well for her situation. She carefully watched as he stormed over, hoping something in his actions gave her a reason to believe that she still had hope and worrying her bottom lip hard enough that it began to bleed.

"What's the verdict?" she asked when he was close enough. The two of them pulled away from the teen heroes to talk.

"The League is split. On one hand, yes, this was the biggest security breach the League has ever gone through but it's not like you had a choice. Anyway, you definitely have Superman's vote, Batman's vote, Dinah's, and mine. The Flash will probably vote your way too, but you'd need a majority vote to stay." He heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. "The politics of this stupid club... it kills me." He looked back at the heroes, most of which were still conversing with each other. "I told them I gave up the access codes and threw my member card at them. Maybe if I'm lucky, they'll kick me off. I've been meaning to go rogue for some time now." He chuckled in his usual make-any-serious-situation-humorous way and a smile finally touched his lips. "There's no use worrying about it now."

Artemis spared a glance towards her team, watching as they laughed and interacted. Sure, if she was kicked out of the League (not that she was ever really in it but she was still under it's control as a member of the Young Justice team) she could still do the whole hero gig with Ollie but she'd have to let go of the team. That wasn't something she could handle. She, Artemis Crock, finally had friends that cared, not ones bonded by a mutual hate of being put in jail. She belonged.

She motioned for Ollie to stay where he was and, against her better judgement, actually went up to the Justice League. Artemis had never really been one for proper etiquette. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she cleared her throat to gain their attention. One by one, all eyes turned to her and she stood there in front of the Justice League, most staring with intrigued curiosity. "My background is the epitome of unclean. If it weren't for my mother's stay in jail, I probably would be fighting your proteges instead of helping them. I was a dangerous bet to begin with but not only did Green Arrow decide to trust me but Batman did to. They trusted me to stay on the right path and until this incident I have. I've earned my spot on the team time and time again. I've proved to all of you, the whole world even, that I would sacrifice anything to help the League. However, I wasn't going to sacrifice my mentor and impromptu father, Green Arrow. I don't doubt that any of you, put in my position, would have chosen differently. If you chose to never trust me again, fine. If you keep me under such a close watch that I can't blink without everyone knowing about it, fine. But don't kick me off the team.

"For the first time in my life, I've been a part of something for the greater good of society. The team is the closest thing I have to a family and I don't want to lose them. I finally have something worth fighting for and I am going to fight for it with every fiber in my being."

Artemis could have monologued at them for hours, presenting her case and using every trick in persuasion she knew to try and sway their vote; anything to stay on the team, but Batman interrupted her before she could continue. "Not many people have the guts to speak to the Justice League that way. That was quite the speech... but your right." For a moment Artemis was shocked. Oliver had told her Batman was voting to keep her on the team but she hadn't expected him to react quite like that. "There isn't one of us that would have chosen differently. Arthur, would you have sacrificed Mera? J'onn, would you have let M'gann die?"

"You're hardly one to talk, Batman," Wonder Woman spoke up. "You're the one all about the mission and personal sacrifices."

The Dark Knight's stare was intense enough to make Artemis glad it wasn't directed at her. "I would let Gotham burn before I let Robin die. You should know that better than anyone, Diana." His eyes narrowed even more than Artemis thought was physically possible. His expression lightened a bit when he turned to the archer, still severe but not angry. "You will stay on the team for a week long probation period. After that period of time, if there is not conclusive proof that you will betray the team and the League, you will be an official member again. If anyone disagrees than speak now." No one moved. A small smirk appeared on Batman's lips but it may have been the lighting or even her eyes playing tricks on her. She could have sworn up and down that he had actually smiled at her. "I believe the team is waiting for you."

She whispered a quick thanks before turning and heading back to Ollie and the team. The young heroes were staring at her as she approached. The unasked question hung in the air. "There won't be a vote. Unless I show suspicious behavior, I'm back on the team." Smiles split the faces of the team members, some high-fived her, others hugged her. Artemis couldn't help laughing with happiness. She'd never been more at home and she couldn't believe it had taken this whole ordeal to make her realize this.

Oliver moved to hug her but collapsed before he could reach her, cutting the celebration short. "Ollie," Artemis cried, kneeling down beside him. He gingerly touched his stomach with his hand and when he pulled it away traces of blood were smeared on his palm. A red stain was beginning to form on his tunic. "You must reopened you bullet wound." Tears pricked her eyes as she realized Ollie hadn't gotten a proper chance to heal because he was constantly being abducted by Sorrow or running after her. He'd been shot and beaten within an inch of his life with little to no medical care and he'd still come to her rescue. "We're getting you to a hospital."

"Someone get Black Canary. There's a doctor in the city we always go to when it isn't an emergency and she'll know the number," Roy murmured as he helped her lift Green Arrow. They each placed arm around his shoulder and helped him walk while one of the team members ran off to find Dinah. The tow of them directed Ollie towards the Zeta platforms.

"We're going to have a picnic," Oliver stated decidedly as they stumbled to the platform. "We'll act like a real family. You, Dinah, Roy and I. I'll even make some of my famous chili." Artemis couldn't help but laugh at the older man's babbling.

"Sure, Ollie," she answered. "But first we're getting you to a hospital."

"It's all over, Artemis. This whole ordeal is finally over."

She smiled. Yeah, it was finally over.

**IF I HAD EMOTIONS I'D BE BAWLING RIGHT NOW! I've got no words. Thank you to EVERYONE! The faithful readers, the lovely reviewers, the amazing followers/favoriters, the ever-present silent readers, those who have inspired me, those helped me, literally everyone thank you.**

**Artemis's saga is over (stay tuned for the epilogue!) and I don't know where to go next but we'll see, I guess. Thanks for reading!**

**ATTETION: Apparently, after Season 2 Cartoon Network is canceling Young Justice! LeGasp! The Young Justice Wiki is starting a letter-writing campaign to try and convince CN not to cancel the show. So, if you want to help save your favorite show head over to the YJ wiki (just type that in google, you'll find it) no matter what article you're on you should see the advertisement for the campaign on the right as long as it's still going on. Help save YJ! (And spread the word!)**

**Loves, EmmaLemon**


	24. Epilogue

**Ok, this is just sad. Sorry guys. On a much happier note, Alamodie convinced me to write the picnic scene, so you all get an extra chapter. I was going to put the picnic first but I thought I'd end on a much happier note than this chapter...thing. So, stick around because that'll be coming to.**

Epilogue

Artemis had faced down some the roughest, most terrible villains the world had to offer. She'd stared down the Batman as he fixed her with one of his infamous Batglares. Even at the young age of fifteen, she'd faced certain death way more times than the average adult, even the one's in Gotham. In the last week alone, she'd been to hell and back.

Yet, she'd never been more nervous in her life.

She gripped the thin fragile stem of a single chain of bluebells way too tight, her knuckles actually turning white with the pressure. Her back was stiff and rigid, her eyes alert. A hand rested on her shoulder, pulling her gaze back to the man standing behind her. Ollie. He'd promised he would stay with her. But, even though he was there, she was almost scared.

A fat raindrop fell on her nose, making her wince and Oliver move the umbrella so it covered her completely. The cement path beneath her sneakers was slick with a days worth of heavy Gotham rain. The dropping temperatures threatened freeze up the already treacherous roadways and sidewalks. Fog was beginning to descend and settle on the ground and thunder murmured in the distance. It seemed like the weather had just decided to skip Autumn and go straight to Winter.

With a deep breath and a shot of courage, Artemis willed herself to keep walking forward despite the pain prickled her chest with each footfall. Rows and rows of headstones flowed past as she kept moving. She hadn't been here since the funeral but she still knew exactly where to go.

Her feet had unconsciously lead her through the cemetery as her mind wandered off, not wanting to think about what hurt the most. Abruptly, she stopped. All too soon, she had reached spot. The headstone was simple; her name, the date of her birth, the date of her death, and the words "loving mother". There was no mention of her time as Huntress, of her villainous husband, or of her jail time. Paula Crock was free from these labels now.

Silently, Artemis stepped out from underneath the cover of the black umbrella. She was glad it was raining; the rain hid her tears. More than anything, the blonde wanted to pull on her costume and become Artemis the vigilante. It was easier to pretend she had no emotions when she was her crime-fighting alter ego. But, she couldn't hide behind a mask right now. She couldn't even hide behind Ollie. Artemis knew she had to stop avoiding it, stop trying to deny it, stop pretending this wasn't something she was going to have to live with.

Stooping down, she gently laid the bluebells down on the grass. There were a thousand things she could have said, things you say at graves. But she stayed silent. Tears slipped down on her cheeks and mingled with the rain before dropping off her chin and falling to the earth below. A frigid wind blew her damp hair across her face and caused shivers to shake her body. Softly, she sung the last line of her mother's favorite vietnamese lullaby. The bittersweet memory of her mother explaining the translation to her only caused more tears to fall. "It means 'rest your head and let the angels guide you to sleep'," she had explained all those years ago.

She stood there, head bowed, in silence for who-knows-how-long, minutes, hours- heck, it could have been days for all she knew. She stood there until she couldn't cry anymore, until she was utterly soaked to the bone and shivering violently, until Ollie put his hand on her shoulder again. Turning to face him, she wiped away any left over tears. Her gaze fell on his and for a moment a silent understanding passed between the two of them. Choking back sobs, Artemis wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Hesitantly, Oliver returned the hug, dropping the umbrella and forgetting the rain.

"I love you, Dad."

**Really short, I know, and I'm sorry but I couldn't put much in here. I hoped you all liked it. Please send me a review telling me what you thought. I'll get the extra chapter up as soon as possible. Loves!**


	25. Extra Chapter

Artemis was jolted awake by a knock at her door. Light streamed in through her blinds and created rectangular patterns on her blue walls. She could faintly smell something unfamiliar cooking in the kitchen. Her sheets were twisted around her legs, most likely because of the dream she had been having. One about her mother. It wasn't a nightmare but one of those happy-sad memory dreams she was probably going to have to live for a long time.

"Artemis, Ollie says it's time to get up," Roy's voice called from the other side of the door. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, confusion clouding her already foggy brain. Roy never stopped by the Manor.

Sliding out of bed, she replied that she be down in a bit and checked the clock to find out just how late she had slept in; it was almost ten. Pulling a pair jeans and a black tank top out of her dresser, she paused to glance at the top of her dresser. When she had arrived, the furniture had been bare and austere but in the last few days alone she'd filled her room with the things she'd found most important. A picture of the team in a thick black frame was a welcome-back-we're-sorry-for-doubting-you gift from M'gann, Zatanna, and Raquel. They had been embarrassed when giving it to her, mostly because of the doubting her part but it was one of the most important thing she owned. The small birdarang Robin had used to talk to her was leaning against the mirror. There was an older picture of Ollie, Dinah and a young Roy shoved between the mirror and it's frame. She found it lying around the Manor. It was accompanied by the bent photo of her and her mother, still blocking Jade and Lawrence from being seen.

A pile of crumpled and folded papers sat next to the picture frame. They were notes she and Wally had passed back and forth while at the cave, mostly to keep their not-quite relationship on the down low. Though she suspected some of their teammates already knew. Even in their crumpled state she could see Wally's scrawled handwriting flowing across the pages accompanied by her own meticulous cursive. She smiled to herself as she realized she was becoming Wally with all these "souvenirs".

She grabbed her favorite brown leather jacket on her way out and worked her way through the labyrinth that was Queen Manor. As she entered the kitchen, she was hit full on by the smell from before. Ollie was standing by the stove, whistling as he attended to the source of the smell. Dinah was at the counter, packing four sandwiches into a large bag.

"Hey, kiddo," Roy said from his place nearby Dinah. He handed her a bag of chips to pack as he greeted Artemis.

"What's going on?" Artemis glanced at Ollie as if to justify her worry. He was a decent cook most days, only a few mess-ups here and there, but whatever he was making now smelled... well, terrible.

"We're going on a picnic," Dinah replied with a touch of annoyance and bitterness in her voice.

"Don't mind her," Ollie called as he lifted the lid to the pot in front of him and smelled his concoction. "She's just upset because she couldn't say no to my charm and good looks."

Dinah rolled her eyes, leaning over the counter to get closer to Artemis. "He used his 'I got shot' eyes on me. We're just humoring him."

"And," Oliver said in a sing-song voice as he dumped the contents of the pot in to a large thermos. "I made my famous chili." Dinah let out an exaggerated sigh as he slid the thermos into the bag. Roy laughed and murmured something that sounded like "famous for being deadly". Despite both reactions, Ollie kept on smiling and whistling. "We're doing this right. Like a normal family."

Roy gazed at the bag for a moment before turning back to Artemis. "Sorry, Arty but if you had gotten up earlier you would have gotten a normal breakfast instead of Ollie's death chili."

~/\~

Fifteen minutes later, Artemis was helping Dinah spread out a large green blanket in the shade of one of the trees in Star City's largest park. Ollie began to unpack the food as soon as they had all sat down. A cool breeze tossed Artemis's hair, whispering the threat of an end to the nice weather. Dinah handed out paper plates as Roy pulled the bag of chips open.

"See, isn't this nice?" Ollie asked as he offered up a bowl of chili. Dinah politely turned it down but Roy just had to raise an eyebrow as an answer. Uncertainly, Artemis took the bowl. She'd been warned numerous times, by both Dinah and Roy, to stay away from Ollie's notorious chili. Apparently, it gave you third degree burns inside your stomach and could cause a person to go mad. But, as she looked at it, it didn't look dangerous or bad and it wasn't out of the ordinary for Dinah or Roy to make fun of Ollie's cooking.

Picking up a plastic spoon, Artemis tried a small spoon full. The reaction was instant, her eyes watered and her tongue burned. "Here, honey," Dinah said handing her a bottle of water. "Drink this." She did as she was told, carefully swallowing.

"Well, what do you think?" Ollie asked excitedly.

She took another drink before replying. "Under the burn... it's not that bad," she answered, taking another small spoonful and accompanying it with water. Ollie's face broke out into a grin. "You kind of get used to it." Her mentor laughed and dug into his own bowl.

Dinah sighed and shook her head but she was smiling too. "Don't encourage him."

"Since we're being a 'normal family'," Roy began nonchalantly as he started on his sandwich. "I believe it's my job to be the... 'protective older brother'? That being said, I now have to kill Wally."

Ollie looked up. "I thought you said I didn't need to kill him." Artemis blushed as she realized what they were talking about. She crossed her arms defensively and glared at Roy for bringing the subject up.

"It's not like that. We're not dating."

"That's not what Rob tells me." Of course it would be Robin to Roy about her and Wally. Of all the team members, he was the most observant, for obvious reasons.

Before he could continue, Dinah cut in and stopped the bombardment. "Guys, let it go. We're supposed to be enjoying this picnic." Roy shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich as if to say he'd let it drop. "Artemis obviously has better tastes than me when it comes to guys." It took a moment for her words to sink in and Ollie to understand the not so hidden meaning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Artemis snickered but when his hurt eyes turned to her she hid her amusement behind another bite of food. Dinah raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to take a deep breath. "Right, enjoying the picnic." He lapsed into silence allowing Dinah and Artemis to chat about school and the team. The younger blonde recounted events at Gotham Academy. Roy let out a soft laugh when she mentioned the super genius, Dick Grayson, that was helping her in math.

All the while, Artemis couldn't help but smile. Her whole life she'd never had a normal family that had picnics. Even before her mother went to jail and they were still a "happy" family, they'd never done anything together because of her parents' "work". After her mother was arrested, any family time that wasn't her father's rigorous training was out of the question. Her mother had tried to make her feel normal but there was always that nagging reminder of her past, either her father or her attempts to keep her real identity from the team. Her smile falter at the thought of her mother. She had to turn her thoughts back to the present to maintain her composure.

"Artemis, are you ok?" Dinah asked, obviously noticing her change in attitude.

She forced another smile. "I'm fine." Ollie put a hand on her shoulder, concern showing through on his face. She could practically hear his silent question. "I'm fine, Ollie."

Doubt flashed in his eyes but he nodded anyway. Artemis went through the motions of being fine, finishing her food, smiling, and laughing, mostly to draw them away from thinking she was upset but also to try and convince herself she wasn't troubled. They were supposed to enjoying the picnic and that's what she was dead set on doing, not dredging up the past.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind. The salty air hit her lungs in waves. The wind rustled the leaves in the tree above them and Artemis caught a hint of a storm approaching. Shouts of children, barking dogs, and the faint drone of traffic accompanied the symphony of leaves as the noise occupied her thoughts enough for her to completely compose herself. As she reopened her eyes, she was able to put on a real smile despite how much she missed her mother now.

Ollie began chattering about his latest business deal, looking to Dinah for advice even though he was the one who owned the multibillion dollar company. Roy, who had said next to nothing almost the whole picnic, jumped in on the conversation, surprising everyone. Artemis listened quietly as they talked about business, slowly working on the fruit that was brought and not really paying too much attention to what exactly was said.

The conversation was cut in two by a sudden piercing scream. At first, it was ignored and thought of as a child playing but the noise was soon followed by several other screams. The four of them scanned the park for the source of the screams and found a large group of people running away from the same spot. Artemis and Ollie jumped to their feet as soon as they got a glimpse of the cause of the commotion. A familiar face walked calmly through the park, disregarding the chaos around him. Every few seconds he'd turn towards another fleeing citizen and launch a shard of ice at them, freezing them mid-step. With over exaggerated movements, he bowed to no one and surveyed the terror he'd caused. "It's good to be back under that nice Californian sun," Icicle Jr. called to no one in particular. He continued his attacks relentlessly.

"Come on," Oliver protested as Roy, Dinah, and Artemis prepared leave to get their uniforms and bows. "We're supposed to be having a normal family picnic."

Artemis turned back with a smile. "Our family is anything but normal, Dad."

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. Thank you all for reading my story. You're the best readers a writer could ask for. Thank you.  
>EmmaLemon<strong>


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